Could've, Should've
by Kizmet
Summary: Marauders Era First year. The Blacks and Snapes decide it might prove beneficial if their sons were friends. Perhaps they should have checked with Sirius and Severus first. Part III A summer trip gone wrong begins an irreversable slide into hatred.
1. Could've, Should've 01

**Not So Different**

Disclaimer: Characters and setting are the property of J.K. Rowling, I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit fun.

Harry glanced up as Remus Lupin knocked on his open door then walked in with a dilapidated shoebox. "What's in there?" He asked.

Remus smiled, for a brief moment the exhaustion and sadness left his eyes. "I found it in the attic, Mrs. Black must have missed it when she threw out all of Sirius' stuff after he moved in with your dad's family."

"So what is it?" Harry repeated. He found it a little easier to sound enthusiastic and curious than he'd thought it would be. Both he and Remus tried to smile for the other and tried to elicit a real smile in return. Slowly it was getting easier, for both of them.

"Just some pictures." Remus replied with a studied casualness. "The ones on top were from our third year at Hogwarts and if I remember Padfoot's organizational system there will be older ones on the bottom."

Harry's smile turned up a notch. "And you've got the stories to go with them?"

"Well… I don't know if all of them are fit for a professor to be telling a student, but then I'm not your teacher anymore am I?" Remus said with a quick grin as he settled on the bed next to Harry and opened the box. A look of uncertainty passed over Remus' face. "We weren't always as… out of bounds… as what you saw in Professor Snape's memories." He felt compelled to add.

Harry winced. "I, I didn't think you were."

The following hour was spent pleasantly immersed in a happy carefree past as the pair sorted through the old photos and Remus relayed the Marauders' earliest stories to Harry.

"I can't believe how little you guys look." Harry laughed when they had unburied a handful of pictures from the Marauders' first year at school.

Remus smiled fondly. "Look at your own pictures, I think you'll find yourself no bigger."

"Hey who's that?" Harry asked as a new photo was turned over. "I recognize Dad, you, Sirius… and Pettigrew." For a second a dark edge over took Harry's voice then he shook it off. "But who's the other kid."

"Oh…" Remus started a bit as caught sight of the picture. Sirius and James stood front and center mugging for the camera; two grinning, dark haired boys with matching looks of mischief in their eyes. After a moment Peter pushed between them, his dishwater blonde hair falling into his eyes. He stood on tiptoes to sling an arm around each of the taller boys' shoulders. Sirius used the distraction to give James rabbit ears. Off to left a youthful version of Remus watched, the brown-haired boy shook his head fondly at his friends' antics. A third black haired boy stood off to the right, he was turned away from the camera, a book cradled in his arms as he edged away from the general chaos that surrounded Sirius and James.

Harry watched carefully, hoping for a better look at the fifth boy. "I haven't seen him in any of the other pictures, but he looks a little familiar." He said.

"I suppose he would." Remus remarked.

* * *

_The Marauder's First Year, Christmas Break_

Minerva McGonagall stood in the courtyard in front of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Her hands were planted on her hips as she stared disapprovingly at the two dark haired first years awaiting her judgment. One was lean and nutmeg brown from long hours out of doors, including a number of hours his teachers might have preferred he spent studying for his classes, his blue eyes sparkled brightly with mischief. The other boy was pale and thin; his eyes were so dark that they appeared black and secretive.

"What have you to say for yourselves gentlemen?" She asked sternly.

The first boy's mouth tightened unhappily, his dark eyes glittered with resentment. "I was studying. I lost track of time and missed the train."

"That was the day before yesterday, Mr. Snape. Am I to understand that your studies were so absorbing that they kept you from noticing that you were forty-eight hours overdue for the holidays?"

The boy just shrugged. "I didn't think it was worth mentioning. I missed the train, I assumed that my parents wouldn't want to go to the bother of making alternate travel arrangements."

"And the sensible course of action was to remain in the dungeons, telling no one of your whereabouts, leaving us to think you'd been lost or kidnapped?" Professor McGonagall demanded irritably. "We were all frantic when your parents informed us that you failed to meet them at the train station. Your father was very upset."

Snape flinched then his face settled into a carefully blank expression. "Am I staying at school for the holidays?" He asked.

"Of course not. Your father was contacted as soon as we found you, he's at the apparition point now." Professor McGonagall replied then turned her attention to the other boy. "Your turn, Mr. Black. Would you care to explain how you ended up at the Potters' home rather than your own?"

"I told my parents James invited me!" The blue-eyed boy exclaimed. "I don't see why you had to go dragging me back!"

"Your mother told us that she specifically forbid you from spending the holidays at your friend's house." Professor McGonagall remarked.

Sirius looked rebellious. "It's because they're Gryffindors. My parents are creeps, like all the rest of the Slytherins; they hate me. You've gotta let me go home with James, Professor."

Snape quietly muttered something that sounded like: "Typical Gryffindor melodrama."

Professor McGonagall sighed. "Mr. Black, I understand that your parent were somewhat, surprised, at your Sorting…"

"Pissed you mean." Sirius corrected under his breath and earned a watch-your-language-young-man glare.

"… But I'm quite certain that they don't hate you. Your mother was very insistent upon having you home for the holidays, they've had a number of months to accustom themselves to the situation and I believe that they wish to heal the damage to your relationship. I know you haven't opened a single communication from them since the howler incident."

"You don't know them Professor." Sirius protested excitably. "If you send me home, I may not make it back for the next term."

Snape rolled his eyes at the other boy's antics. McGonagall didn't seem much more sympathetic. "Sirius, your parent will not kill you for being sorted into my House. The Headmaster and I have had several meetings with them, I promise you that there won't be any more problems."

A large hook-nosed man stormed into the courtyard. "Mr. Snape." Professor McGonagall greeted the man. "I apologize for your inconvenience."

"It's hardly the first time the boy's made a nuisance of himself." The elder Snape growled. "Severus, get your things and hurry up about it. I've wasted more than enough time over this fool stunt of yours."

"Yes sir, sorry sir." Snape replied by route. As soon as he was out of sight the other three heard the sound of running feet echoing back from the hall.

While they waited for him to return a second disapproving parent arrived to collect her straying son. Mrs. Black arrived by carriage; she was accompanied by a cringing house-elf. "Professor." She said. "Sirius, apologize for the trouble you've caused everyone."

The blue-eyed boy stared at the ground. "I'm sorry everyone got in such a fuss. 'Course you could have just left me with James…"

Mrs. Black frowned darkly. "Have you forgotten all manners and polite speech in just four months?" She asked. "Those hooligans you consort with are a bad influence, don't think I haven't heard about the trouble you've been into."

Head still down turned to hide his face; Sirius mimicked his mother's reprimand mockingly.

Professor McGonagall's expression cooled. "Mrs. Black, Sirius is high spirited certainly, but he's a quick study and he's made a number of close friends. As his House Head, I feel he's settled in very well, despite some early problems."

Mrs. Black sniffed disdainfully. "I'm certain his behavior is quite typical for students in your keeping, but I expect my son to remember some decorum regardless of his deplorable choice in companions."

Professor McGonagall scowled at the other woman but refrained from commenting.

"Esterhazy, it's a pleasant surprise to see you here." Mr. Snape said with a false smile. "It seems my imbecile son isn't the only determined to cause his parents grief."

Mrs. Black gave him an appraising glance, as if she were judging whether or not he was the type of person to be worthy of using her first name. "Snape isn't it?" She remarked then dismissed the man. "Come along Sirius, you've caused me more than enough problems for one day."

"I have to get my stuff." Sirius complained.

"You've clothing at home and I won't have any of the nonsense you've acquired here in my house." Mrs. Black stated. She turned and walked out. Sirius trailed sullenly behind her.

The elder Snape watched the pair go with a look that was equal parts anger and speculation. "Which house is the Black boy in?" He asked McGonagall conversationally.

The Professor smiled proudly. "Sirius is one of my Gryffindors." She replied.

"No doubt that came as a surprise to the Black family." Snape remarked.

Professor McGonagall sighed. "Students being sorted against family history does tend to create difficulties. I'm quite proud of how my Gryffindors rallied around the boy after his parents made their displeasure public knowledge."

A moment later Severus reappeared. His trunk bobbed unsteadily after him under the effect of a _Wingardium Leviosa_ charm. The elder Snape took charge of the trunk; he shrunk it down to a more manageable size then pocketed it. The older man started back toward the edge of the apparition wards with a brisk stride, when his son failed to keep up he grabbed the boy by the upper arm and half dragged him along in his impatience. Once they were off school ground the elder Snape disapparated pulling his son along with him.

They reappeared outside of a sizable but badly run down house. Dizzy from the abrupt transition, Severus fell. His father's unforgiving grip on his arm threatened the joint with dislocation for a moment then he was released to collapse into the snow. A moment later a hand on the back of his collar hauled the boy back to his feet. "Do you think I pay for you to go to that school so you can hide with your potions or your books? You're there to make connections." The older man snorted disgustedly. "Or do you think you can get ahead on talent?"

"I get top marks in potions and DADA." Severus protested.

His father's short bark of laugher was derisive. "You're nothing special. There's nothing _you_ could do to equal having a name like Malfoy... Don't think I haven't heard about your moronic quarrel with the Malfoy boy."

"He's the moron." Severus muttered under his breath and earned a sharp cuff to the ear and shove toward his rooms.

"Get a move on it, we are going to get something accomplished before Christmas break ends."

* * *

The Black family carriage, complete with anti-muggle charms pulled to a stop in front of no. 12 Grimwald Pl. "You're a disgrace Sirius, what kind of example do you think you're setting for your younger brother by disobeying me and running off with riffraff like that Potter boy?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Geeze Mom, get a grip. What's your problem with James anyway? Even by your standards the Potters should be acceptable, the family's been around forever."

"They're hardly purebloods. You can barely find four consecutive generations without one of them marrying a mudblood and the only reason they aren't as obnoxious as the Weasleys is that they don't have the same tendency to over breed."

"Better than inbreeding." Sirius muttered and received a sharp rap to his knuckles.

"While you are home I expect you to remember how to comport yourself properly. I won't have any Gryffindor-ish scenes in front of your relatives. It's shameful enough that they all know what happened, you shan't compound the situation by behaving as if you've forgotten all trace of proper manners. That McGonagall woman may put up with your 'high spirits' but I expect better from my flesh and blood." Mrs. Black decreed. "The nerve of her, coming into my house and acting like I should be proud that my son's been declared a brazen fool before the whole of polite society."

"If you hate me so much WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LET ME STAY WITH MY FRIENDS!" Sirius yelled. "James invited me. Peter invited me. Hell, I could have just stayed at school with Remus. They like me; they want me around, but no, YOU'VE got to drag me here just to remind me how much I disappoint you."

"You are a Black and you will behave like one!" Sirius' mother hissed. "I may not have any say in where you're placed at that school of yours, but I will drag you back here at every opportunity and I will make a proper Wizard of you or we'll both die in the trying! Now go to your room and put on some proper clothes, you look like a muggle."

* * *

"Enough argument, ten paces then turn." The elder Snape instructed.

Severus didn't move. "You did what!?" He exclaimed as he fought the urge to check his ears.

Artalocus Snape turned and scowled at his son. "I owled Esterhazy Black with the suggestion that you might be a positive influence on her wayward son."

"B… but Black's a Gryffindor!" Severus wondered if someone had cast a babbling charm on him. Normally he knew better than to talk back to his father. But Black? The self-righteous git and his friend Potter acted every Slytherin student was the next dark lord in training. Go to Black's home? He'd be better off throwing himself down the first flight of stars and saving the other boy the trouble. "Sir, Black hates Slytherins."

"His family is well known and well respected in certain circles." Artalocus replied after a casual curse sent his son to his knees. "You've proven that you're incapable of cultivating connections on your own so I'm going to help you. The brat might be a Gryffindor but he is a Black. The family's nearly as old as the Malfoys, they've got money, they've got influence… but given her son, Esterhazy can't set her standards too high when it comes to finding him suitable friends. Not that I expect that you'll convince him of anything, you couldn't persuade a Dementor to take your soul. Still it's a reason for you to spend time in the Black family's social circles, try not to screw up this time. And next time I tell you to duel, you do it. I won't hold back if you're daydreaming. Now, ten pace and turn."

The pair step off the required length for a duel then turned. On Artalocus' count of three he shouted. "_Expelliarmus!_"

Severus erected a quick blocking spell, only to have his father's hex blast through it and knock him across the room. His shoulder connected forcefully with the wall before he crashed to the floor. For a moment he lay there, stunned.

"Get up, we're not done."

* * *

A pair of curly haired teenage girls tumbled out of the fireplace in the Black family Manor's foyer. The first, a seventeen-year-old with cropped auburn locks quickly dusted herself off and gave Esterhazy a perfunctory hug. "Thanks for having us Aunty. I've a ton of Christmas shopping left and London's ever so much better than Hogsmeade."

Esterhazy Black held her niece at arm's length. "Just remember, your mother swore I wouldn't have to deal with any of your muggle nonsense here."

" 'Course Aunty. I solemnly swear; you won't see a single muggle gadget in your house. Now where are Siri and Reg? I can't take off without saying hi to my ickle cousins."

Esterhazy scowled disgustedly as the girl hurried off then turned to her other guest. The fifteen-year-old shook the soot out of her waist-length black ringlets then smoothed her robes. "Aunt Esterhazy." She greeted the older witch.

"We're quite certain your sister is a Ravenclaw Bellatrix?" Esterhazy asked snidely.

"Andromeda is, unfortunately, of the experimental bent. Not a respectable theorist like most of her house." Bellatrix sneered. "Then there's her whole muggle fixation, it leads her to associating with the worst sorts of wizards… Still it was amusing to watch Molly Carington have conniptions over the amount of time Andromeda and Weasley spent together. Anyone except a Gryffindor could see that Andromeda was more interested in his 'ragio' than in him."

Esterhazy shuttered distastefully. Whether it was at the mention of a muggle gadget or the thought of one of her nieces dating a Weasley was left to the imagination.

"If I could have your opinion Bellatrix?" Esterhazy asked as she handed the dark beauty a short missive.

Bellatrix scanned the note. "Sirius is a lost cause Aunty, he'd dive headfirst off the Astronomy tower if he thought it would make him more Gryffindor, but I'd extend an invitation anyway."

"So the Snape boy has potential?" Esterhazy asked.

"He's got a sharp mind and a sharper tongue." Bellatrix replied. "He doesn't have the sense to reign either in but when he gets older I imagine he'd make a good asset if a body could get a leash on him. That is, assuming Lucius doesn't hex him into an early grave for impertinence."

"How is darling Lucius?" Esterhazy asked.

"I encouraged him to notice Narcissa." Bellatrix replied off-handedly.

"What did your sister do to earn such generosity?" Esterhazy asked.

Bellatrix shrugged. "I didn't want him but it seemed prudent to keep it, him, in the family. They'll do well together, Narcissa never was the type to get her hands dirty and Lucius wants an ornamental hostess. Myself, I prefer to be an equal. Rodolphus Lestrange's family might not be as prominent or as rich as the Malfoys but he listens to my advice."

"There is much to be said for finding a compatible match." Esterhazy remarked. "As long as one properly screens the candidate pool before hand. As for the situation with my disgrace of a son; I believe having a guest from his year might distract him from causing too much trouble at my annual holiday get-together."


	2. Could've, Should've 02

**Party Games**

Disclaimer: Characters and setting are the property of J.K. Rowling, I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit fun.

* * *

Severus glanced around the richly decorated hall with a feeling of extreme uncertainty. It was one thing to know that the Blacks and Malfoys traveled in the same circles, it was another thing to see it. After four months of Lucius lording his family name over the rest of their House, it was hard not to react to this display.

Sirius glanced around to make sure that his mother was occupied elsewhere then slouched and sulkily crossed his arms over his chest. "Just so you know, I don't want you here. I don't want anything to do with a slimy Slytherin git like you."

Severus found Sirius' greeting oddly reassuring. The higher-class Slytherin students weren't given to that sort of sullen display, they preferred to maintain proper posture while they talked down at a person. Sirius' body language was pure Gryffindor brat and for once Black didn't have friends to back him up. "As if coming here was _my_ idea, I've certainly got better things to do than spending time with _you_." The dark-eyed boy sneered. "And I have to wonder what your parents, or any of the other Slytherin alums here, would think if I relayed your sediments."

Sirius snorted. "Like I haven't said it to their faces a dozen times since they forced me back to this pit."

"Ah yes, one mustn't underestimate Gryffindor stupidity. No wonder you were worried about your family killing you, you'd provoke a Hufflepuff to murder… only they'd get caught, luckily your family is Slytherin, we know how to hide bodies."

"Like I'm scared of you Snape. I've seen you pretending to be invisible at school. You're a coward."

"The better part of discretion when you and your _friends_ are around. Although, now that I think of it, the way you aim I might be safer if you were targeting me."

Mrs. Black cast a dark scowl at her offspring, Sirius bit back whatever retort he'd planned. "You're here, welcome, glad to see you and all that crap I don't mean. There, I've done my duty as your host. Have a rotten time and try to find someone to hang around who isn't me." Sirius stated then turned and walked off.

Severus sneered at the other boy's retreating back for a few minutes then spotted a somewhat secluded nitch. Once he was safely out of sight he unshrunk a book he'd stowed in a pocket before coming. Then he curled up in the corner of the settee with a book of hexes to wait out this exercise in misery.

An older girl with honey-blonde hair noticed an out of place shadow in the corner of her Aunt's dinning room and wandered over to investigate. When she recognized Severus as a first year from her house she laughed musically. "Making yourself at home?" She asked lightly as she dropped a hand on his shoulder.

Severus flinched away and glared up at her in suspicious silence.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, you're acting like that silly quarrel at school is personal." The girl shook her head as if in annoyance at his lack of perception. "Look Severus, I'm just toeing the party line. Personally, I think Lucius is being an idiot but he's my boyfriend and Lucius Malfoy is never wrong."

Severus rolled his eyes. "Even when he uses bat eyes instead of beetle carapaces and blows up our common room instead of the Gryffindors'? That couldn't possibly have been a mistake."

"Precisely." Narcissa replied. "Lucius is never wrong…even when he is. Now if it had of been me, well I would have thrown a few things, stamped my foot and scowled then called a house elf to clean up and everyone would have forgotten that a firstie had known more about the potion than I did. Lucius came up with that ridiculous story about you sabotaging his potion. Because he treated you like threat you graduated to the big kid's table… ready or not."

"So why are you being nice to me now?" Severus demanded.

Narcissa ruffled his hair. The younger boy glared angrily at her.

"I was feeling sorry for you." She said. "You're not a Ravenclaw you know. House politics are Slytherin's lifeblood. You can't go on ignoring these things and hoping for the best."

* * *

"Siri, could I talk to you for a minute?" Andromeda asked. She caught her younger cousin's elbow as he stormed out of the dinning room. 

"Sure." Sirius replied his mood brightened notably when he saw who had accosted him. "What's up? You need me to ask Arthur for some more muggle stuff?"

"Oh no, I've secured my own source; an actual muggleborn no less. Ted Tonks works in a 'garage' during the summer, has all sorts of access to gadgets, he can explain how they work _and_ he's just the cutest thing ever."

Sirius grimaced at his favorite cousin's 'girl-moment'.

Andromeda brought herself back on topic. "I wanted to talk to you about the Snape kid. You're going about this all wrong."

"What, you think I should be friends with that weirdo!" Sirius demanded. "He's a…"

"Yes, I noticed he's Slytherin but do you see me starting wars with Cissa and Bell? It'd be stupid and I'd make myself miserable in the process." Andromeda stated.

"Yeah, but they're your sisters. You're stuck with them."

"And you and Snape are stuck with each other too. This wasn't his idea either, can't you see that?" Andromeda asked. "Aunty Esterhazy set this up with his parents and she won't give up after just one attempt, so you can either make the best of it and tolerate each other or you can spend the hols torturing each other."

"Why don't you tell him this?" Sirius snapped. He glared at the floor beside Andromeda's feet. "He was being a git."

"And you weren't? You've got the home ground advantage Siri. Maybe you didn't notice but all this," Andromeda's gesture took in all of the noble and most ancient house of Black; "intimidates him. Your not-friend out there is Slytherin, as you pointed out. To a Ravenclaw like me class is an irrelevant data point and I know you Gryffs make a point of eschewing the whole caste system but it matters to a Slytherin. If you've ever listened to your _esteemed mother_ you know there's a lot more to it than muggleborn, half-blood and pureblood. The Snapes are as pureblooded as it gets but the family's produced more than it's share of squibs and near squibs. That's why they're noted for potion brewing. They've been in dire straights financially ever since they backed little Jane Grey's bid for the throne. You don't need to be overtly hostile, the house is enough of a threat all by itself. Beyond that, I've seen that kid at school, he's seriously out of his depths, no social skills at all, he can't help being a git. "

"I'll think about it, okay?" Sirius whined. "But I don't want my friends at school thinking that I'm like them! A Ravenclaw'll respect the study of anything if the report's long enough and has a bunch of big words but Gryffindors, real Gryffindors, don't put up with the Dark Arts."

"No one here is going to report back to Gryffindor Tower if you're civil to him." Andromeda remarked tartly.

"I said I'd think about it." Sirius repeated.

Author's Note: Jane Grey was the figure head for an attempt on the throne in the 1550's

* * *

Severus was starting to feel like coming hadn't been a mistake after all. Narcissa Black was actually sort of nice to talk with. Before receiving his Hogwarts' letter he'd been home schooled and two weeks after the Sorting he'd dared to tell Lucius Malfoy that he was an idiot who had no business even looking at a caldron much less trying to concoct potions. Severus hadn't had many chances to just talk with other kids and he was fairly certain that he wasn't any good at it. Narcissa didn't seem to mind thought. True, she was treating him like a child whose ignorance amused her but she was being kind about it. 

Somewhere along the way he'd set his book on the floor beside him and Narcissa had claimed the other end of the settee. She was giving him a thorough lesson in the more subtle aspects of Slytherin's political climate and how it related to him. Early on in their conversation Severus had concluded that his father might talk about making connections but when it came to actually making them the man was clueless. Narcissa didn't just yell at him over the mess with Malfoy, she was suggesting things that might help. It was nice… even if he didn't really think he could bring himself to follow most of her advice.

Why should he apologize to Malfoy? He'd offered to help, it wasn't his fault the fourth year had taken insult at his offer. If he openly challenged Malfoy he might as well pick out his tombstone. He was eleven for Merlin's sake! Sure he got top marks in Defense, for all the good it did; he couldn't even stop _one_ of his father's curses. The persistent ache in his muscles from being repeatedly thrown into walls was a constant reminder of his failures. His father healed the bruises almost before they could form but being forced to heal over and over again was making burn with exhaustion right down to his cells. At least no one could see how hopeless he was. He just wasn't strong enough to block that bloody spell. But what if he struck first…

A sudden change in Narcissa's tone snapped Severus out of his thoughts. "I guess Aunty's letting anyone in here this year." The lovely blonde remarked in a cold, condescending voice. Her gaze strayed past his ear.

The dark haired boy turned to see what had made her change and the thwack Malfoy had intended for the back of his head landed on the bridge of his nose. Severus' eyes watered at the shock of pain. He bit his lip and glared at the pale aristocrat.

"I wouldn't worry." Lucius drawled. "Charity's the in thing this year and we all know how long fads last. Come along Narcissa, we should dance, it'll keep the old biddies off our backs for the next few months."

As Lucius led his girlfriend away Narcissa gave Severus a shrug and an apologetic glance over her shoulder. Severus understood, she'd told him from the first that she'd only be nice when Lucius wouldn't hear about it. It was still disappointing, hell with that; it hurt.

The quiet corner and his book had both lost their appeal. Severus wandered upstairs. The familiar smell of a potion brewing drew him to one of the doors. He opened it and found Sirius balancing a pot over his bedroom's heating fire using a makeshift tripod.

Sirius looked up guiltily then said. "Oh, it's you. In or out, I don't care but shut the bloody door before my bratty little brother shows up."

Severus stepped inside and shut the door. "Is that a cooking pot?" He asked in tones suggesting that Sirius was committing sacrilege

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You'd rather I use a chamber pot?"

"What are you attempting to do?" Severus asked.

"None of your business." Sirius turned back to his potion.

Severus prowled around the room picking up bottles and glancing at labels. Sirius glared and snapped "Gimme that!" a few times.

Severus leaned over Sirius' shoulder to glance in the pot. Sirius swatted at him in annoyance.

Fifteen minutes later Sirius went to remove his concoction from the flames. "Let it simmer for another ten minutes." Severus remarked. "The color will last nearly twice as long."

"You trying to screw me up or do you expect to get something out of helping me?" Sirius demanded. Upon noting Severus' expression he added, "I might not _be_ Slytherin but I did grow up in this house. I know how you people work."

Severus rubbed the bridge of his nose gingerly. "Just make sure Malfoy gets a good dose." He said.

Sirius smirked. "Oh, that I can do. With that albino mop of his the color'll take real good."

Twenty minutes later Severus was sent home so Mrs. Black could properly discipline her son and Lucius left to contact Hogwart's Potion Master to find a cure for his neon pink hair.

* * *

The next morning Sirius shifted his weight superstitiously in a futile attempt to assuage the ache in his knees. Kreacher, his mother's current favorite among the house elves, had woken him well before dawn to start his punishment. He'd been kneeling on the cold stone floor in the hall outside of the kitchen ever since. His mother had ordered him to spend the time contemplating his 'atrocious behavior'. 

Sirius had come to the conclusion that his mother was right; yesterday had been a _pitiful_ showing. He'd only managed to get handful of guests with the hair-dye potion and it was such a piddling little annoyance anyway.

Sirius spent the first hour considering what he might have done better. How he might have got more people and what else he might have done to get a better reaction.

During the second and third hours he determined which family members he needed vengeance on and determined appropriate methods. Bratty Belle and Tattle-tail Regulus figured prominently. Bell had been extreme helpful about offering suggestions for his punishment. Sirius had decided to transfigure her favorite pendant into something tacky. With James' tutoring in Transfiguration it wouldn't be hard to do and he could probably fix the transformation to last for at least a fortnight. If he shrunk the chain and sealed the latch she'd have to wear the gaudy thing until the spell wore off. Still the pendant was just a beginning, Bell deserved so much more. Regulus had volunteered the information about funny smells coming from Sirius' room. A klutziness hex at Christmas dinner should be adequate for _dear, sweet, little_ Reg.

Breakfast came and went, Sirius' mother stopped by to reiterate his list of supposed sins.

During the fifth hour Sirius constructed an elaborate visualization of Malfoy with daisy yellow skin, forest green nails and dead white eyes to go with his pink hair. He spent the sixth hour working out the most effective and long lasting ways to accomplish his goals. The nails and skin he could take manage with a few spells he'd picked up during the year but the eyes would take some research. Sirius then spent some time deciding between owling Remus back at Hogwarts to see if he'd be willing to look a few things up for him or maybe, possibly asking Snape. Remus always took a little persuading when it came to pranks and Snape seemed to have a personal grudge against Malfoy, plus the Slytherin boy was some sort of prodigy in potions according to their Professor. Sirius couldn't stand his cousin's beau, the fourth year was cruel, stuck up and vicious, worse yet Lucius could get away with anything. Plus, the older boys dearth of melanin and his extreme vanity made him the prefer target for that sort of prank. The color showed up brilliantly and Malfoy's reaction was even better.

Smells from the house elves preparation of lunch started drifting into the hall. Sirius' mother arrived to lecture her son on the finer points of etiquette, starting with 'why one doesn't prank one's guests.' After ten minutes Sirius had completely tuned her out.

In his head he was practicing Quidditch with James and Peter. They were going to try out for the house team next year. James wanted to be seeker but Frank Longbottom was absolutely brilliant in that position and he was only a third year. Sirius thought he and James would make a great beater team until the seeker spot opened up but James' second choice was chaser. Remus said Sirius should go ahead and try out for the beater position regardless of what James tried out for. Sirius thought Remus and Peter should try out period. Peter always said he wasn't good enough and Remus wouldn't even practice with them anymore.

"Yes I understand you Mother." Sirius interjected when his mother's voice paused.

Remus said he couldn't get on the team because he got sick too often, but he used to practice with them. Then he'd taken a Bludger to the head and Mr. Hilbury, their flying coach, had freaked. Sirius didn't get it; sure there had been a ton of blood but they saw worse Quidditch injuries nearly every game. Still Hilbury had spent hours talking with Remus after the accident and the brown haired boy hadn't practiced with them since.

Sirius frowned. He just didn't understand Remus' illness. Madam Pomfrey could cure absolutely anything. They'd thought Peter was dying after he and James had tried to use _Wingardium Leviosa_ to float their smaller friend through the windows into the Hufflepuff common room. Of course a lot of the 'blood and brains' had turned out to be the red and yellow paint Peter was carrying with him. Still they'd been horrified, Madam Pomfrey had fixed Peter up as good as new by the next day. Sirius didn't get why Remus kept on relapsing every single month.

A loud bang, his mother stamping her foot, brought Sirius' mind back to the present. "You will pay attention to me young man." His mother declared.

"Maybe I'd be able to if I weren't practically fainting from hunger here." Sirius complained.

"You'll receive permission to move once I'm convinced you're properly remorseful." Esterhazy declared.

"Esterhazy." A deep voice warned.

Sirius' mother jumped then half bowed to the scowling man looking down on them from one of the pictures lining the wall. "Phineas, I didn't realize you were visiting." She simpered. "The boy, well the Gryffindor influence was showing and I…"

Phineas' dark look froze her voice. "Regardless of House the boy is my blood while you are nothing more than my great grandson's wife. You'd do well to remember that."

Esterhazy cringed. "Sirius, go to your room, I'll send Kreacher up with a tray later."


	3. Could've, Should've 03

**Battle of Wills**

"One."

Severus focused on the spell he planned to cast and steeled his nerves. It would work this time.

"Two."

His father was sneering at him as if his failure was already a fact. This time it was going to be different. This time he was going to make his father use more than one spell to disarm him.

"Three!"

"_Serpensortia!_" Severus shouted.

Artalocus Snape smirked at the cobra slithering toward him. "_Expelliarmus."_ The older man stated coldly. The resultant pulse of magic threw Severus across the room. His head snapped back to collide forcefully with the wall. He slumped to his knees then caught himself before his face hit the floor.

"_Finite Incantatem._" Artalocus stated calmly and the snake disintegrated. "Pathetic." Severus' father loomed over the boy, he tapped his wand against his thigh. "Unless your opponent is an undisciplined child _Serpensortia_ gives them more than enough time to kill you then counter your spell at their leisure. At least I was forced to block that ridiculous jelly-leg jinx. I didn't think it possible, but your performance is actually degrading despite my best efforts. Get up."

Severus took a deep breath, ordered his stomach to behave then staggered back to the center of the room and saluted with his wand. He and his father counted paces then turned to face one another again.

"One – two - three."

"_Stupify! Rictusempra! Tarantallegra!_" Severus screamed. He watched in defeat as his father's shields absorbed each of his curses with no sign of weakening. His shoulders slumped, his wand dropped to his side. It was utterly hopeless; he was never going to win.

"_Expelliarmus!_"

Severus was spun around and thrown against the wall again. There was a sharp crack as he tried to catch himself with his hands. A wave of white-hot pain flowed up from his wrist and washed the room away. He curled around his broken wrist and whimpered, his consciousness faded in and out then a cool hand was resting on his cheek and a quiet spell took the pain away.

Severus watched his mother march away from him, her heels clicked angrily, as she went to confront her husband. "Are you trying to teach him or kill him Artalocus?" She accused. "He's a child. You are an adult. What were you thinking? You've got to check your power or does it give you some sort of sick thrill to batter your eleven-year-old son into submission?"

"I'll teach him as I see fit!" Artalocus growled. "If I have to use his survival instincts to drag more magic out of him I bloody well will."

Severus' mother sniffed disdainfully. "_He_ has plenty of power, naturally. _He_ just needs time to grow into it. **He** doesn't need to sell **his** soul for it." Then the fight seemed to go out of the tall woman. Her head dropped and she sighed. "What happened to you Artalocus? You used to say you didn't need much magic, that you could brew fame and bottle glory. Where did the man I married go?"

"I went no where Desmona. That was the problem. Look around you. Look at what relying on my own skills gained me: a crumbling ancestral manor stripped bare of most everything of value. Power, connection, money; those are all that matter in the end."

A defeated silence filled the room. Desmona returned to her son's side and helped him to sit up.

Artalocus disappeared into his lab for a few minutes and returned with a stoppered vial. "Bone-knit." He said as he handed it to his wife then he stalked to the far side of the room and stared out of the window.

"Give me your arm." Desmona said. "_Derigomortus_."

Severus hissed as the bones in his wrist realigned. Desmona opened the vial and passed it to him. He tossed back the medication then his screwed up his face in disgust. A tingling in his wrist told him that the potion was doing its job.

"If the boy doesn't think he can handle it I'll suspend the lessons." Artalocus said coldly without turning to look at his family.

Severus scrambled back to his feet. "I can do it!" He insisted.

"You are an utter bastard." Desmona told her husband. She stood and wrapped her arms around her son's shoulders. "Severus, listen to me. You don't have to do this. He's not doing it for your benefit, it is not a test you need to pass, it's a pathetically transparent manipulation of your pride."

"I can do this, you said I'm strong." Severus insisted. "I just need to try harder; to learn better spells."

Desmona let him shrug her arm off. "You're done for today." She said. "Your arm needs time to set properly. We'll talk about tomorrow."

* * *

Sirius paced the confines of his bedroom, his prison for the last four days. Kreacher brought food several times a day, his mother brought lectures nearly as often. Even being released for Christmas day hadn't been much of a reprieve because all of his relatives had been keeping such a close eye on him. He was completely caught up on his homework and had finished almost half of the book Remus had sent him for Christmas. He'd eaten all of the candy from Peter and James, and he was horribly bored.

On the plus side, he'd managed to curse both Regulus and Bellatrix during Christmas despite the adults' best efforts. Sure he'd gotten caught but it had been worth it to hear Bell shrieking like a banshee and to watch Regulus trip and upset the punch bowl on their Auntie Clarissa. Sirius snickered at his memories of the event.

His mother didn't look kindly upon new mischief before he'd even completed his previous punishment but so what? It wasn't like she would ever forgive him for being Gryffindor. Not that he cared; his friends and Housemates were much better than his family anyway. They were nice people; he didn't have to be ashamed of i them /i .

Sirius still remembered the Sorting ceremony from the beginning of the year with painful clarity. He'd been near the front of the line but there'd been enough first years ahead of him for Sirius figure out how it normally went: Professor McGonagall called your name, the hat went on your head and after a bit it shouted out your new house then, while most of the student body and staff clapped politely, and your new housemates cheered wildly, you were welcomed into your new home.

-------------- Flashback --------------

_Sirius sat confidently on the stool at the front of the Great Hall. The Slytherin students exchanged anticipatory glances. Professor McGonagall put the Sorting Hat on his head and it settled over his eyes occluding his view of the room then a voice spoke in his head. "Well, you certainly aren't what I was expecting." The hat proclaimed. "Brash, brave, forthright, a certain tendency to disregard consequences… Really there's only one place for you. GRYFFINDOR!"_

_The hat's pronouncement was met with near total silence. The lonely sound of the Headmaster clapping only emphasized the frozen shock that held the rest of the room enthralled. Sirius pulled the hat off his head and gave it back to a stunned Professor McGonagall. Slowly the sound of confused muggleborn students turning to whisper with their neighbors swelled throughout the room. Sirius bit his lip and started walking toward his table. By the time he sat down shocked muttering assaulted him from all sides. _

_"A Black in Gryffindor?"_

_"Suppose it could be worse; it could have been a Malfoy."_

_"A Black's not **much** better."_

_"Maybe the Hat's broken."_

_"A Black, inconceivable."_

_Sirius sat down gingerly at the very end of the Gryffindor table and tried to disappear. An older boy with bright red hair stared at the small, lonely first year for a moment then a look of determination settled over his face. "Come on guys. The hat put him with us for a reason and we all get along with Andromeda well enough. Gryffindors have never let family background keep us from welcoming our new housemates before."_

_"Because there's nothing wrong with being muggleborn." One student muttered._

_The redhead glared at the speaker. "Come on Molly." He said. He collected his girlfriend with a glance then they went to sit on either side of the newest Gryffindor. _

_Professor McGonagall recovered herself and gave the pair of fifth years a proud look. "On behalf of my House, welcome to Gryffindor Mr. Black." She said then turned back to the unsorted first years. "Crabbe…"_

---------- End Flashback ----------

That had been the first time Sirius had really understood that there was something wrong with his family. He knew there were a lot of things his parents disapproved of and he knew he drove his mother crazy because he was loud and rambunctious instead of a little suck up like Regulus, but that day was different. That day he'd realized that his last name could make people cringe away from him when they were supposed to be welcoming him.

Two days later his mother's Howler arrived with breakfast. She stopped just short of disowning him and when her venomous rant finally ended Sirius had been pale and shaking. That night he'd woken up screaming and stammering about being thrown away to starve.

A sleepy James Potter awkwardly patted him on the back and offered to share his parents with Sirius. The very next morning James had written home to ask permission for Sirius to spend Christmas with them. Sirius hadn't had any more nightmares. During the two days he'd spent at the Potters' Sirius had felt welcomed and happy. Then his teachers figured out where he'd run off to and they condemned him to spend his holidays with his relatives.

A light tapping on his door drew Sirius out of his thoughts. He opened the door to find his father waiting for him, the man looked tired.

"Hello Siri." He said.

"What do you want?" Sirius demanded. He stepped back to grant his father entrance then went to sit in the window seat and stared outside.

"This standoff with your mother is foolishness." Orion Black stated. "If you'd simply apologize for all the mischief you've caused she'd let you leave your room."

"Hell with that! It's not fair. I'm not going to apologize to that…"

"Sirius! You will watch your language young man." Orion ordered sharply.

Sirius crossed his arms and sulked.

"Whether or not you want to admit it, this is nothing more than a power struggle between you and your mother. Since you don't have any power in this situation it's in your best interest to swallow your Gryffindor pride and tell her what she wants to hear. Truly Sirius, would it hurt you to abide by the rules of this house for just a few weeks?"

"Why should I?"

"To keep the peace. Are we really asking so much of you?" Orion sighed. "Merlin knows your mother has her faults. She was out of line when she wrote to you, but if you'd just compromise a little bit we could repair our relationship."

"Who says I want a relationship with you people?" Sirius said.

"Like it or not we're the only family you've got."

"That's what you think." Sirius muttered.

"Think about apologizing." His father said. "I know you've got too much energy to cope with being lock up."

* * *

Severus poured over his spell books. His wand, which glowed from a simple _lumos_ charm, was tucked behind his ear so that the soft glow would fall on the page. His candle had guttered out ages ago and he wasn't about to go wandering around the manor at three in the morning.

The house was cold, drafty and predominately unlived in. He and his parents kept to one wing while the rest of the place fell into disrepair. Severus was certain that a whole family of bogarts had moved into the north attic. He could hear them moving around up there. The creaks and groans echoed through the walls, especially after dark.

He glanced at the chair he'd braced under his doorknob before going to bed. There was no way anything was getting him while he slept, while his defenses were down.

Severus glanced back at the book in his lap and groaned. That was the whole problem. No matter how many hexes he learned he could never catch his father with his defenses down. Severus' reflexes and spell casting speed were improving by leaps and bounds but he was never fast enough.

He'd learned to start his first spell before his father's three count had finished and to time the last syllable of the spell to coincide with the end of the count but his father's shields were still waiting for him as solid and unbreechable as the walls of Hogwarts.

… But what if he? It wouldn't be fair but he was Slytherin wasn't he? Willing to employ any means, wasn't that what the Hat had said? Of course his father would be furious. Still if he won, even once… Whatever his father did to him it couldn't hurt more than breaking his arm had and he'd already done that.

It would be worth it.

Sirius took a deep breath to steel up his resolve and slipped out of his room. He walked downstairs to his mother's sitting room and knocked politely on the door.

"Yes?" Esterhazy asked. Sirius entered the room. "I don't believe I gave you permission to leave your room."

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry about turning your guests' hair pink…" Sirius watched his mother's expression hopefully, after a beat he added. "And about making Regulus knock the punch bowl over… And about Bellatrix's necklace... And I'm really sorry about shrinking the buttons on Bellatrix's top so it kept popping open." Mostly because her boyfriend had seemed to enjoy it so much, Sirius added to himself. He tried not to fidget while he waited for his mother to pass judgment on him.

Esterhazy gave her son an appraising look.

Sirius had a brainstorm. "I only did Malfoy's hair because he was being a rotten guest." He added quickly. "He practically gave Sn-Severus a black eye and you told me to be a proper host to Sn-Severus."

Esterhazy sighed. "Yes that would be the Gryffindor version of tending to a guest. Not a single thought in your head as to which of their good opinions is of more value. Well, I suppose you can't help it. Sirius will you swear that there won't be any more pranks?"

"Alright Mother. I promise; no more pranks during this visit."

Esterhazy smiled thinly. "In that case you may consider your punishment completed."

"Thanks Mom." Sirius paused for a beat. "Could I go to Hogsmeade tomorrow?"

"No."

"But you said…"

"Privileges must be earned."

"But I promised…" Sirius cut himself off sharply. The fact that he'd planned to meet up with James, Remus and Peter wouldn't help his case. "I told Severus I'd meet him there. You're the one who wanted me to make friends with him."

Esterhazy gave her son a piercing look. "I fully intend to verify your story before granting my permission."

"So I can go?" Sirius asked. "Thanks Mom. I'll see you later, I've got some homework to finish."

Sirius ran upstairs without waiting for his mother's reply. He scribbled out a quick note asking Snape to back his story then ran upstairs to the owlery.

* * *

"One – T…"

"_Confoundus!_" Severus yelled. Artalocus smirked as his son's spell spent itself against the shields he'd erected with his opening salute.

Severus blinked disbelievingly then something dark seemed to well up in his chest. He couldn't loose this time. "_SEAR!_" He shouted. A beam of red light erupted from his wand.

Unlike _Incendio_ which caused the spell's target to combust, _Sear_ simply burned through anything in it's path and continued on until the spellcaster's strength was spent. The spell impacted against Artalocus' blocking charm and for the first few seconds Severus' hex was absorbed. The boy continued to pour the dark throbbing power he'd discovered into his spell, gradually Artalocus' shields began turning purple. They held a few moments longer then collapsed with a bang.

Artalocus twisted to the side and Severus' spell shot past him.

"_Expelliarmus._ "

As usual Artalocus put enough power behind the spell to smash his son across the room with bruising force. "So, you do have some potential for the Dark Arts after all."

Artalocus offered Severus his hand and pulled the boy back to his feet. They walked back to the center of the room then stepped off the paces and turned.

"_Expelliarmus._" Artalocus cast.

Severus stared up at his father, shocked and betrayed.

"You were the one to dispense with formalities last time." Artalocus said. "Get up."

Severus stayed on the ground. "You're just going to start zapping me whenever?" He asked.

Artalocus smirked. "Most of the duels you fight won't be formal. If your opponent truly wants to kill you he won't wait for you to get ready to defend yourself. You'll learn keep shield charm on the tip of your tongue at all times."

"I can't even block your hexes when I am ready!" Severus exclaimed.

"I suppose you should have thought of that before dispensing with the count." Artalocus remarked.

An owl flapped into the room and landed in front of Severus. The boy looked at it as if he'd just received a death row pardon. He accepted the letter and made a perfunctory apology to his father for the interruption.

"Who'd send you mail?" Artalocus demanded.

"It's from Black."

Artalocus plucked the missive from his son's hand. "The brat wants you to cover for him with his mother. You'll claim that I will also be in Hogsmeade on the morrow and that I would mention it to Esterhazy should I see either of you without the other."

Severus sighed. Black hadn't been so bad on his own, but he doubted the Gryffindor wanted an excuse to spend the day in Hogsmeade on his own. On the other hand, if Severus didn't go he'd be spending the day at home serving as a target for his father's spells. "I'll go, I'll go."


	4. Could've, Should've 04

**Group Dynamics**

Disclaimer: Characters and setting are the property of J.K. Rowling, I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit fun.

**dimhigie:**Thanks for the review, it's really nice to know that someone's reading.

**Duj: **The Dueling Club scenes from CoS were definately on my mind while writing the last chapter. Snape's father uses Expelliarmus (and only that spell) as a bit of an insult, Severus knows what's coming, it's a basic spell and he still can't block it. Artalocus describes Serpensortia as being ineffective against anyone but an undisciplined child; in my head Snape wanted Harry to panic and need a very public rescue in CoS from a minimal danger.

* * *

_The next day_

Two boys stood outside of the Three Broomsticks, glaring intently at each other as they argued in hushed whispers.

"I've explained this to you already; we can't split up. We both told our parents we were here together if my father sees us…"

"Yeah, yeah he'll tell my mom, I'll get in trouble, big deal. She'll send me back to my room for the rest of break, who cares."

"We'll_both_be in trouble you moron, and I do care." Severus hissed. "You got us in this mess, you deal with it."

"Look Snape, I swear I won't let your dad see me, you do the same and everything will be fine." Sirius insisted.

"Until I get home and my father tests his latest batch of Veritaserum on me. Defying my father, or lying to him isn't an option for me!" Severus argued.

"You can't give kids Veritaserum, you're lying."

"He's a potions master, Black."

"I'm meeting James, Peter and Remus. I don't want to be seen with you. You don't want to hang around with us." Sirius insisted.

"What part of _I DON'T HAVE A CHOICE_ are you failing to understand?" Severus demanded.

"Fine then." Sirius snapped. "Just let me do the talking."

"This should be good." Severus remarked but he allowed the other boy to lead him into the Three Broomsticks.

Several minutes later a boy with dark, artfully tousled hair and thick, round-lensed glasses tumbled out of the fireplace, like Sirius he was darkly tanned and lean from constant activity. Even when they were in class the pair were generally fidgeting and made their Professors wish that the chairs came equipped with restraints. He stood gracefully and immediately caught sight of his friend. "Siri! The old hag let you out after all." James laughed and slapped the other boy's shoulder. Then he noticed Severus sitting in the back of the booth. "Who's he?" James frowned a bit as a memory tickled the back of his brain. "You're in Slytherin aren't you?" He accused.

Sirius made a face. "His parents are friends with my parents. Letting him tag along was my mom's price to let me out."

James and Severus glared at each other with a mixture of suspicion and dislike.

Sirius gritted his teeth then gave in to his conscious and Andromeda's advice. "Come on James, we should just ignore him."

James shrugged and dismissed Severus from his mind. "Whatever. Peter and his parents are going to pick up Remus from school. We might as well walk up and meet them halfway."

Severus distanced himself slightly from the two friends as they gossiped about the trouble they'd caused during the holidays so far.

The other half of the Gryffindor quartet: a small, rotund boy with longish sandy blonde hair and a boy with dark brown hair and a thin face, already marked by too much familiarity with pain, showed up ambling down the path from Hogwarts with a bland but cheerful-looking couple in tow.

The Pettigrews hung back while the boys greeted their friends. After the initial round of hellos was finished Severus suddenly found himself at the center of attention.

"Severus." Remus greeted the Slytherin cautiously. "You must be friends with Sirius' family."

"I'm certainly not a friend to the lot of you." Severus replied snidely.

Remus rolled his eyes.

"We're ignoring him." James volunteered.

Peter glared hatefully at Severus.

"Peter, are you going to introduce us to your friends?" Mrs. Pettigrew asked.

"Sorry Mom." Peter said. "This is James Potter and Sirius, they share the dorm with Remus and I. James, Sirius, meet my mom and dad."

"It's nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Pettigrew." Sirius replied with a slight bow.

"From hearing Peter talk, you four have the first year dorm to yourselves. Gryffindor had a small turn out this year it seems." Mr. Pettigrew remarked.

"A bit larger than expected." James replied with a fond glance at Sirius.

"The girls more than make up for it." Remus said as he wrinkled his nose. "The common room is just packed with them, fussing over their hair and gossiping; I'm afraid to go in there."

"Peter dear, you left someone out." Mrs. Pettigrew said. She offered Severus a warm smile.

"Severus Snape." The dark eyed boy responded shortly.

"It's nice to meet you dear." Mrs. Pettigrew replied. "Which house are you in? I don't believe I've heard Peter mention you."

"Slytherin."

"Oh… um, I'm sure you'll do well there." Mrs. Pettigrew offered. She seemed taken aback.

Severus sneered bitterly, unsurprised at her reaction.

When they reached the first few buildings the elder Pettigrews waved. "Now don't get into mischief boys. We'll be about town if you run into trouble." Mr. Pettigrew said. "Peter, Remus, remember; we promised Headmaster Dumbledor that we'd have Remus back by six. Don't make us go hunting for you."

"You don't have to. I can walk back on my own." Remus offered.

"Nonsense." Mrs. Pettigrew stated. "The road borders on the Forbidden Forest, who knows what sort of dark beasts might be lurking."

"Oh, right." Remus grimaced.

"Have a good time; remember, no mischief." Mr. Pettigrew reiterated.

"Just a moment boys." Mrs. Pettigrew called as she dug a camera out of her bag. "Everyone smile."

"Send Peter back with enough copies for all of us." Sirius said with a grin as he threw an arm around James' shoulders.

* * *

Remus wandered into the in the display area of the Quidditch Shop. "Have you guys run out of drool yet?" He asked hopefully.

Sirius sighed and brushed a finger lovingly over the Nimbus 1800. "We promised you equal time at Flourish and Blots didn't we?"

"You did." Remus said.

"Hey Pete, go yell at Snape won't you?" Sirius called.

"Why can't we just leave him?" Peter complained.

Sirius shrugged. "I might need him to get out of the house again sometime."

Peter scowled. "I'd worry that he might be contagious; you sounded positively Slytherin just now."

"Better one Slytherin and you guys rather than a house full of them and me all by myself." Sirius said. "Just go get him will ya?"

"Fine." Peter stalked to the back of the Quidditch Shop where a bored Severus Snape flipped though a book

Peter glared at the other boy. "I know what you're doing." He accused. "We've got all the friends we need. We don't want any creepy Slytherin hanging around so why don't you just get lost."

Severus shut his book sharply and stood up. He towered over the pudgy Gryffindor. "You don't tell me where I can or can't go."

"James'll make you leave us alone. Sirius might think you're normal, but James, Remus and I come from nice families, we know better."

"Is there a reason you're bothering me?" Severus demanded. "Or are you simply that in love with your yammering?"

"We're heading over to the bookstore." Peter admitted.

"Finally." Severus exclaimed.

* * *

Severus stood back and watched as Sirius and James saw the Pettigrews and Remus off. Once the foursome passed out of sight, hidden by a dip in the road, he stepped up next to Sirius. "I think it's time we returned as well." He stated.

Sirius made a face. "I'm putting off going back to that prison my parents call a home as long as possible." He informed the other boy. "Hey James, could we go over to your place for dinner?"

"Sure, my parents won't mind." James responded easily.

"It's late, I don't have permission to traipsing off to some Gryffindor household..." Severus trailed off in defeat and gritted his teeth. It was quite obvious that James and Sirius weren't paying any attention to him. They had made their plans and nothing he could say would dissuade them. That he could probably take off without incurring his father's disapprove didn't really occur to him; while he might never say it, certainly not to a bunch of Gryffindor brats, deep down he wasn't looking forward to going home any more than Sirius was. The only real difference was Sirius was utterly delighted to be going to the Potters' and Severus was still trying to make up his mind as to which option was the lesser evil.

In the end it seemed simpler to just let them drag him along and so several minutes later he found himself tumbling out of a fireplace into a large-ish living room that was trying to look cozy. There was an older coupled sitting on the couch, apparently waiting for their arrival.

"James, you promised to be back an hour ago." The man stood up to reprimand the unrepentant looking Gryffindor. In the background Severus climbed to his feet and dusted himself off. "Your dinner's long since gone cold."

"I was having fun! Professor Dumbledor let Remus stay out till six, the Pettigrews weren't making Peter go home. Why should I have to be the first to go home?" James whined.

For a moment Severus wondered if the couple were James' grandparents. Then he remembered that James' father was the head of the Auror division at the Ministry, and couldn't possibly be a young man, not if he'd risen to that position.

"Oh don't fuss Harold, the house elves won't mind throwing something together for him and his guests. Now Sirius, we're not going to be getting another call from your parents accusing us of kidnapping again, are we?" James' mother asked.

" 'Course not Mrs. Potter." Sirius replied with a cheeky grin. "This time I'll go home before they miss me. My mom just isn't happy when she misses an opportunity to lecture me on how ashamed she is of all my Gryffindor habits."

James' mother ruffled Sirius' hair with an expression of fond exasperation. "Alright you scamps; I'll ring up the house elves, get you all dinner then everyone's back to their own beds."

Mr. Potter noticed his son's second guest. "You're Artalocus Snape's boy aren't you?" He asked.

Severus nodded with a suspicious look.

"Tell your father that the Aurors miss his potions. I'm not half as confident sending my people out into the field with Potion Master Cadris' brews."

The unexpected compliment surprised a smile out of the boy. "I'm Severus." He said as he extended his hand.

"Harold Potter and my wife; Eleanor, it's a pleasure." The graying gentleman replied as he shook the boy's hand. "Will you be following in your father's footsteps?"

"Potions is my best subject, but I like Defense better." Severus supplied, his normal defensiveness lost to shock.

"If you excel at potions you must be the meticulous type." Harold remarked. "We can always use a few Aurors with those traits; they keep all us crazy Gryffindors from rushing off half-cocked."

Severus gave up completely and let his mouth dropped open and just stared. Gryffindors weren't nice, let alone complimentary toward Slytherins.

"Like a Slytherin would ever make it as an Auror." James muttered to Sirius.

"Like one'd even try to do something positive." Sirius replied.

Harold frowned at the boys. "The best unit I ever served with had representative from all four houses. The Wizarding World's greatest accomplishments have always come about with the strengths valued by Goddric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin were combined."

"Twenty years ago you could find alumni from all four houses in almost every branch of the Ministry, working side by side." Eleanor added. "But it seems that we draw further apart every year now a days. How long has it been since you've had anyone but Gryffindors apply to the Auror's program Harold? Sometimes it just doesn't seem like anyone else cares anymore."

"My parents say the Ministry wouldn't know real power if they tripped over it." Sirius volunteered.

Harold Potter's gaze sharpened, but his voice remained casual as he asked. "Have they ever said who does hold the power in their opinion?"

Severus bit his lip, he knew better than to tell tales but there was a name his parents fought about. One day his father came home radiating magic and told them he'd resigned from the Ministry, they'd been arguing ever since. Severus believed the bogarts had moved into the attic about then too.

"They talk about some guy called Voldemort." Sirius volunteered. "All the old blood types love him, he hates all the same people they look down their noses on."

"Harold, don't." Eleanor said quietly.

"Sirius, have you overheard anything about where this Voldemort meets with his followers?" Harold asked.

Sirius shook his head. "Mom and Dad just talk about how great he is, and how all 'right thinking people'; meaning everybody who's stuck up and mean; are behind him. I don't think they've ever met him or anything."

"Harold, don't interrogate our guests." Eleanor insisted. "I'm certain dinner's ready, you know how the elves practically anticipate our needs. Let's just sit down and eat."

"I could ask my parents if they know anything else about him, if you want." Sirius offered eagerly.

"No." Harold said harshly. Then he smiled and forced a laugh. "It's nothing important. Don't mention that I asked about him. These sorts of groups come and go all the time; in another five years it'll be someone else and this Voldemort will be forgotten. Ella's right, we should eat and get you boys home before your parents start worrying."

Eleanor smiled gratefully and gestured toward the dining room. "So how have your holidays been?" She asked.

"Horrible!" Sirius exclaimed and launched into a recitation of the indignities he'd suffered at his parents' hands. He reveled in having an appropriately sympathetic audience; well except for Severus they were sympathetic.

While the Potters encouraged Sirius and promised him he could always come to them, Severus sneered. The things Sirius called 'punishments' were less harsh than the instruction he'd suffered through at his father's hands. The Slytherin boy shivered and wondered what Sirius would do if _his_ parents had made him take Veritaserum then list all of his faults and flaws. The drug stripped away a person's ability to lie to one's self and it was true that everyone was their own worst critic. That little exercise in knowing ones' self had left Severus nauseous with self-loathing for days afterwards.

"Severus how was your holiday?" Eleanor asked.

"Fine."

"Siri, I sent you a whole box of stuff from Zonko's for Christmas, but I thought your parents might confiscate it so it's waiting at school." James said.

"That's cool." Sirius replied. "Think of all the fun we'll have when classes start."

"Oh James," Mrs. Potter sighed. "Should I be expecting even more owls from Professor McGonagall?"

"Only if they get caught." Severus muttered. "I've been meaning to ask. Would you two know anything about the Slytherin dungeons turning red and gold?"

Sirius and James exchanged a gleeful look. "A couple of Gryffindors like us wouldn't know how to get into the dungeons now would we?" Sirius replied.

"How long did it take for you guys to figure out how to turn it back?" James asked. "Or are you still waking up to our house colors?"

"One hour and fifteen minutes." Severus replied. "I made a nice sum charging the other students for the appropriate reversal potion. You really shouldn't count on charms for permanent, I had to relock the damn thing four different times."

"You made it last longer?" James asked, torn between being impressed and appalled.

"I couldn't have them figuring out that your spell would have worn off on it's own in four hours after I'd found a couple of customers." Severus replied.

"Please tell me happened before Peter took that nasty fall when you tried to sneak him into the Hufflepuff dorms." James' mother remarked.

"We didn't have to float anyone to get into the Dungeons." Sirius pointed out.

Mrs. Potter just sighed. Severus came to the conclusion that James could admit to anything and he'd get nothing more than a lecture from his parents.

After the plates cleared away the boys were ushered into the Potter's receiving room. Severus collected a handful of floo powder and departed while Sirius and James lingered over their goodbyes.


	5. Could've, Should've 05

**School Time**

Disclaimer: Characters and setting are the property of J.K. Rowling, I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit fun.

**Responses:**

**duj: **You're right about Snape's father. I'm trying to stay away from flat out child abuse, Artalocus justifies his behavior by claiming that it has a greater purpose. But cannonically, Sirius' parents favored Voldemort but they were never joined him, Sirius isn't in a position to learn anything truly damaging to Voldy's plans. Severus on the other hand... His father would approve of him keeping quiet and not drawing any attention to himself while Harold was questioning Sirius.

**Goldenlioness4:** Thanks. OotP was what started my plot bunnies. I like the Marauders, but I've always been appaulled by bullies. Snape's memories in OotP bother me, Snape is out numbered, lacks the Marauders'general popularity with the student body, etc. He should have been beneath their notice. I wanted there to be some reason why the Marauders started target him, I doubt they could have a good reason given Sirius' response when Harry asks about it but somethingmore than Snape being an easy target would be nice.

**z'yiandria and Virage:** Thanks for reviewing.I'm trying towrite this story in sections soI'll be able tokeep to a fast update scheduleduring each individual part. This update will be my last for a time (computer problems - sigh, computers and glasses of water are not compatible), I've got access to the net but Ican't useit for something astime consuming as sitting down and typing out the next section. At least I'll be able to leave off at a preplanned stopping point.

* * *

Sirius lay in front of the parlor fireplace idly flipping through the Quidditch book Remus had given him for Christmas. His seven-year-old brother gently teased a sparkling pick-up stick out of the tangle of its mates. The toys gasped and offered both advice and criticism. Regulus bit his lip and tried to concentrate. The selected stick came free and burst into a chorus of hallelujahs and a triumphant light show.

Sirius glared at the noise.

"You could play with me." Regulus suggested. "You liked me until you went to that stupid school."

Sirius pursed his lips. He knew, very well in fact, that simply being part of a dark family didn't guarantee Regulus would end up a slimy Slytherin like their parents. On the other hand Reg was such a little suck up, always doing whatever he was told. Still Snape was halfway tolerable; even if he was a Slytherin and a git he did help Sirius get out from under his mother's disapproving gaze for a whole day.

"Come on Siri." Regulus whined. He rattled the pickup sticks enticingly.

"He's just scared. Ch-ch-chicken." The sticks clucked insultingly.

"Alright already, I'm in." Sirius exclaimed as he slammed his book shut. "Prepare to be defeated."

"I've been practicing; you're the one whose gonna be in trouble." Regulus shot back eagerly.

Orion passed by the doorway several minutes later. He paused at the sight of two dark heads bent over the coffee table. For a moment he leaned against the doorframe and smiled at his sons as they played together. "You boys mind if your old dad plays?"

Regulus jumped and sent the sticks flying across the table to a chorus of accompanying jeers.

"Good timing, it looks like this game's done." Sirius said with a superior smile at his little brother. "I need some real competition."

"Show-off." Regulus complained.

"Now, now boys." Orion said. "Sirius' grades in charms show he has excellent manual dexterity."

"So you won't feel bad when I beat you?" Sirius asked as he made his eyes wide and innocent.

"Ahh but I have experience on my side." Orion replied. "I'll have you know I was quite renown for my pick-up sticks skills once upon a time."

The boys laughed and scooted apart to make room for their father.

Sirius leaned back against the couch and smiled. For the moment it almost felt like he could have both his house and his family.

An hour later Esterhazy walked in scowling. "Sirius, you were seen with that riff-raff again yesterday." She said.

Regulus made himself scarce. Orion's mouth tightened as he looked from his wife to his son but he didn't say anything. Sirius scowled, he grabbed his book and stomped back up to his room then slammed the door behind him.

* * *

Severus sat at the breakfast table; a book lay open in front of him. He took notes with one hand while eating with the other. 

"Sev…" A hand dropped onto the boy's shoulder. He fell halfway out of his chair while scrabbling for his wand.

His mother stepped back and waited for him to collect his wits.

"Good morning Severus, you're up early." Desmona said with a fragile cheerfulness. "I'll join you for breakfast."

"Good morning Mother." Severus replied. His pale skin took on a bright hue as he tucked his wand away and straightened his books. He scowled at the dark smear of ink across his notes. After a moment Severus went back to picking at his food while he studied.

Desmona claimed the seat beside her son and arranged her bowl and glass. After several minutes Severus pushed his plate away and focused on his studies.

"Severus, you should eat more." Desmona said gently.

"Not hungry." The boy replied distractedly.

Desmona wrapped her arm around her son's shoulders and pulled him to her side. "You're getting gaunt." She said quietly. "Healing potions accelerate your metabolism. You really need to eat more."

"Mom!"

"Severus, I'm serious. You'll get sick."

With a long-suffering sigh the boy pulled his plate back to him. After a few bites he asked. "Will I ever be good enough for Father?"

Desmona glanced away. "No, you won't." She admitted after a long silence. "I don't like the spells you're learning. I watch the two of you, you're years above your age level but it won't ever be enough for him. You make yourself into something you shouldn't be, you get hurt all the time and you're becoming so nervous, all for him but he will never be satisfied. Please Severus, just tell him no more."

"But I'm getting better."

Desmona bit her lip. "Better at what? Stirring up emotions you should never have to feel so that you can force your magic to develop too quickly? This isn't good for you."

Severus' express remained stubborn and set.

Desmona stood and slowly walked away. "School will start in another three days." She said. "Then you'll be away from here, thank Merlin."

* * *

The Hogwarts' Express had already started rolling when a panting Peter Pettigrew pushed through the door. He glanced around the car and sighed with exaggerated relief. "Great! I was worried that creepy Slytherin would still be hanging around." 

"Oh forget about him." James said dismissively.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "It's not like we're friends or anything. Our parents were making us."

"He's not going to be around at school?" Peter checked. "You know the upper years would frown on us spending time with someone from _that _House."

"He's not gonna." Sirius repeated.

"Good." Peter stowed his bags and sat down. "Still, what if he does try to hang around with us at school. We won't let him will we?"

"Geeze Pete, let it drop already!" Sirius exclaimed. "I don't want to spend the whole trip listening to you obsess about Snape."

"Well, I just think he's evil or something. What does he want with you anyway?"

"I told you: It was our parents' idea." Sirius glanced nervously at James. "It wasn't like I wanted to have him around."

"His dad's a dark wizard." Peter stated. "That's what my parents said. You can't trust Slytherins."

Sirius winced.

James made a face. "His dad used to work with my dad. The Aurors don't hire dark wizards."

"But he quit the ministry, didn't he?" Peter argued.

The arrival of the snack cart changed the subject for the time.

* * *

Several days after classes resumed Severus grabbed a couch in the corner of the Slytherin common room. He entertained the vague hope that Narcissa Black would return from classes before her boyfriend would so that they could talk. 

Lucius Malfoy walked in and noticed the first year studying quietly in the corner. The blonde's face twisted with an ugly scowl. "Snape, did you think I wouldn't notice the way you hang around my girlfriend."

"She's allowed to have friends Malfoy." Severus snapped. His hand closed around his wand but he kept himself from drawing it.

Lucius smirked at the younger boy and attacked. "_Petrificus Totalus!_"

Severus screamed "_SEAR!_" in response.

Neither boy bothered with attempting to block the other's spell. Lucius Malfoy couldn't imagine a first year capable of hurting him. Severus was convinced his defensive spells weren't strong enough to make a difference.

The smell of burnt flesh filled the common room. Severus' muscles locked and he crashed to the floor. For a moment shock held Lucius silent then the pale fourth year screamed and started swearing fluently as he grabbed his burnt shoulder.

"You bloody little bastard! You hurt me!" Lucius shrieked. He kicked the petrified boy then picked Severus up and hauled him to the top of the stairs where he dropped him. Lucius watched the younger boy tumble haphazardly back to the floor of the common room then strolled down the stairs and knelt beside Severus. "Good, you're still conscious. Stay away from my girlfriend and if you dispute my account of this little incident… well, next time you won't be able to say anything against me, understand?"

With that Lucius stood up and ran out into the hall. "PROFESSOR! Snape just went crazy! I didn't realize how close he was to the stairs. I didn't mean to hurt him, I was just trying to get him under control…"

* * *

A week later Severus left the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey had taken one look at him and decreed that he needed to heal the old fashion way. Severus thought she just wanted an excuse to detain him longer so that she could interrogate him at her leisure; both about how his system had come to be saturated with healing potions and where he'd learned a spell like _Sear_. 

Severus glanced around the grounds. He didn't really want to go back to the Slytherin dorms until he had some idea as to how his House felt about him after Lucius Malfoy's version of their dispute had been circulating, and being elaborated on, for a week.

Of course being considered psychotic and capable of committing homicide wasn't necessarily a bad thing in Slytherin. Still Lucius would make sure to let everyone know that he hadn't been able to defend himself from a basic spell every competent first year could cast. Someone might take it into their head to send him back to the Infirmary as a pre-emptive measure.

An alarmed shout drew Severus' attention to the skies. He recognized Pettigrew as the screamer. The rotund boy listed precariously to one side as he clung desperately to one of the school brooms. A Bludger careened away from the little Gryffindor. Pettigrew slipped even further off balance and his broom wobbled unsteadily under its uneven burden.

A moment before gravity would have claimed its victim Potter swooped up beside his friend and gave Pettigrew a shove that helped the boy right himself. Black knocked away the returning Bludger before it could disrupt the rescue effort.

Pettigrew waved thankfully once his balance was secure again. Potter and Black went back to their potions and resumed practice; hitting Bludgers at one another.

Severus scanned the area and spotted Lupin reading beneath a nearby tree. For several minutes the Slytherin boy just stood there thinking about the idea that had popped into his head.

They were Gryffindors; they bought into all that honor and bravery garbage; that should keep them from attacking first shouldn't it? If he just went over there and sat near Lupin the rest of the student body would probably leave him alone. He'd been on somewhat neutral terms with the group during the holidays…

But it wasn't done. Well that mudblood girl, Evans, was always ignoring House lines. Still Purebloods knew to stick to their own houses. But it wasn't like he had friends or even allies in Slytherin, except for Narcissa and Severus didn't doubt Malfoy really would kill him if he kept trying to talk to her.

He wouldn't actually socialize with the Gryffindors, just study near Lupin while the other three idiots obsessed over Quidditch.

Severus checked that he had a book then walked across the grass and picked a comfortable tree stump to lean against.

Remus' eyes widened in surprise then he nodded to the other boy. "Hello. Out of the hospital finally?"

"Obviously. You look like hell Lupin; you relapse again?"

Remus grimaced

Severus found he couldn't stop himself from indulging his curiosity about the rumors. "Are you dying or something?"

"Or something." Remus said. Then he returned the favor. "Everyone says you killed someone, I think it's stupid. Professor Dumbledor would have expelled you."

"I just singed Malfoy." Severus admitted.

"Couldn't have happened to a more deserving person." Remus remarked then turned his attention back to his text. Severus thumbed through his book, looking for where he'd left off. They studied in companionable silence for a time until a Bludger slammed into the ground between them.

The two boys rolled apart. Remus prepared a tirade for his friends about watching where they were hitting those things as he scrambled away from the impact point. Severus leapt to his feet. His lips were drawn back in a snarl and his wand was in his hand. A flash of red light leapt at the three boys on broomsticks above them.

Sirius and James juked out of the line of fire. James pulled Peter to safety along with them as he yelled. "Bloody hell, Snape!"

Remus grabbed Severus' arm and forced his wand toward the ground. The studious Gryffindor frowned in confusion as he realized that the skinny Slytherin was shivering violently. Remus' wolf-instincts screamed that he was dealing with a cornered, injured animal, not a particularly violent and antisocial classmate.

Sirius leapt off his broom and grabbed the shoulder of Severus' robe. He dragged the other boy away from his friends. "You don't go around shooting black magic at my friends!" He hissed.

James and Peter landed by Remus. They watched the other two boys walk off.

"See, I told you he was evil." Peter exclaimed. "I told you, but did you listen? You heard the rumors!"

Remus considered relaying Severus' version of those stories or mentioning how badly the Bludger had apparently shaken the Slytherin but decided against arguing with his friends.

"What was he doing over here anyway?" James wondered.

"Probably avoiding Malfoy." Remus remarked but was drowned out by Peter.

"You guys know what Sirius' family is like, Snape's probably supposed to be getting him back in the fold."

James' eyes hardened as he glanced back toward Sirius and Severus. "Well they can't have him back, he's our friend!"

* * *

_Harry's Sixth Year, Summer break_

Harry stared at the old photograph in disbelief. Even when the fifth boy turned to give the trio roughhousing on the ground a familiar look of disdain Harry still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that the boy was a young Professor Snape.

"How the heck did you guys go from sort of hanging out together to hating each other so much that he'd push Sirius into… That he'd act like he did this year?" Harry demanded angrily.

Remus shook his head tiredly "We were all so insecure back then. I was keeping my werewolfism a secret from everyone. Sirius felt like he needed to prove he wasn't like his family. Peter was just trying to prove himself period… James was the Quidditch star, I was the best at academics in general, Sirius came up with the best pranks and then there was Peter."

"And my dad? What was he insecure about?" Harry asked.

"Us." Remus said. "We worried about Sirius' family pulling him out of school. I didn't realize it at the time, but for the first two years at Hogwarts everyone, including my friends, believed I had some sort of fatal illness. Peter was always so hopelessly inept…"

"What does that have to do with Snape?" Harry broke in.

"It wasn't just one thing you understand. Severus always had a very short fuse and he did know a lot of dark spells even as a first year. Honestly he scared us. We were kids ourselves; we had our own problems to cope with. To tell you the truth, Severus is great deal less likely to overreact now then he was then. Ever since he was a child his first instinct has been to go for the jugular; we thought he'd hurt Peter."

"And even though it seems foolish now, we worried that he'd take Sirius away from us. That was what Sirius' parents were hoping would happen. It was an irrational fear, there were four us and Severus was an outcast even in his own House, if we'd decided as a group to let him in we'd have changed him more than he could have changed any of us." Remus shrugged. "Despite that he was almost a friend for half a year, but even when we were on good terms Severus was never easy to get along with. There were any number of falling-outs but he and Sirius had a common enemy in Lucius Malfoy. They could always put aside their differences to get him. Afterwards Severus would hang around us to avoid retaliation. But eventually something would happen that would remind the four of us that Severus was Slytherin then he'd get in a fight with James or Sirius. Which would end with Severus avoiding us until the next time. The following year Malfoy was a prefect and he had his OWLS to worry about. The first time Severus and Sirius set up a prank Malfoy reported them; said he didn't have the time to put a couple of twelve-year-olds in their place, everyone at Hogwarts knew he'd put up the white flag."

"With Lucius in retreat there was no more reason for Sirius and Severus to team up. And I think finding out I was a werewolf drove a wedge between the four of us and the rest of the school. They were very protective of my secret, especially James. Because of your grandfather's work he knew how the Ministry dealt with rogue werewolves, it made us more than a little exclusive."

Remus picked up the picture again. "I wonder how things might be different if the four of us had decided to make Severus a friend back then rather than an enemy."

Harry stood up abruptly. "Don't." He cried. "Not you too. Don't say that! Don't think that! It wasn't Sirius' fault. I don't care what happened with Snape! I don't care how Sirius treated Kreacher! I just… I don't… It wasn't Sirius' fault! He shouldn't have died! It wasn't fair!"

"Harry, I'm not…"

"Everyone keeps excusing Snape and Kreacher, fine! Blame me, I shouldn't have gone; I should have learned Occlumency; I should have know it was a trap…"

"Harry!"

The door slammed behind the angry, upset teenager.

"Harry, listen to me." Remus pled. The only answer was the sound of the door being locked from the outside. "Harry, don't do this to yourself."

"Alohomora." Remus stepped into a deserted hallway. "Harry…" He signed.

* * *

**Notes: **I"m not sure about how the present dayframing is going to work out.At the moment it's primarily a plot devise to separateevents in the past and an opportunity for characters to put their slant on things in the HP-verse's present day. 

I should probably make the next part a sequal, but there are so many HP stories added every day I'm going to keep this series all under one heading. Yeah, yeah, I'm just trying to avoid putting off people who automatically skip any story that says 'sequal' in the summary and hopefully get more reviews. :blushes: I like reviews, who doesn't? )


	6. Seeing Too Clearly 01

**House Politics**

Disclaimer: Characters and setting are the property of J.K. Rowling, I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit fun.

**dimhigie, Zakath Nath,Allacaya:**Thanks so much for taking the time to review, its deeply appricated.

* * *

"No Albus, I do not want a lemon drop." Professor Snape announced as he walked into the Headmaster's office.

"Ah… A scone perhaps?" Dumbledor replied, the twinkle in his eyes clearly spelling out that he knew very well that his dour Potions Master was attempting to cut the social niceties short.

"No thank you." Severus answered with due formality. His fingers drumming against his crossed arms gave away his impatience.

"Some tea perhaps?"

"I do not want tea, biscuits or any inane muggle sweets, Headmaster." Snape snapped.

Dumbledor stepped out from behind his desk and gestured to several comfy chairs by the fire. "Please, make yourself comfortable."

"What do you want?" Snape exploded.

"Why the pleasure of your company my dear boy." Albus replied.

"I sincerely doubt that."

"Severus, I have tried trusting you to set aside a childhood wounds, no matter how serious they were, in the face of the fact that Harry was not even born at the time the wounds were inflicted. I have tried placing the two of you in close contact believing that you would be forced to see beyond your prejudices. I was wrong. Therefore, I thought we might sit down and discuss why this situation is so impossible for you." Albus sighed. "I am not omniscient and perhaps I know less than I believe I know, which is a dangerous mistake to make. Please Severus, help me to understand why your relationship with Harry is more prone to explosions than Mr. Longbottom's potions."

"You know exactly why that is Headmaster." Snape replied. He turned to leave.

Dumbledor touched the younger man's forearm and Severus found himself sitting down in front of the fire while Albus pulled up a chair nearby.

"Because he is James Potter's son." Albus stated. "My dear boy, surely you admit how irrational that is?"

"Yes, you've mentioned this before. Potter died when his son was barely more than an infant. Harry Potter was raised under vastly different circumstances, etcetera. He is still a carbon copy of James Potter with Lily's eyes."

Albus smiled gently. "How can a 'carbon copy' of James possess Lily's eyes? How can Harry be exactly like James when he is every bit as much Lily's child as he is James'? Young Mr. Malfoy certainly tries to emulate his father in all things, but do you see him as being solely Lucius' child?"

"Draco inherited his academic abilities from his mother." Severus acknowledged. "Lucius purchased his homework. Draco could easily sell his… At least in the classes where his pride doesn't interfere with his studying habits."

"He does suffer from a rather severe listening problem in Hagrid's classes." Albus remarked mildly. "The same can be said of Harry. He is both James and Lily's child."

"He is just like James."

"Harry is very much his own person." Dumbledor stated. "Severus, I know your rivalry with Lucius Malfoy was much shorter lived than the one with James and Sirius, but it was no less vicious. Do you remember taking that tumble down the stairs just after winter break during your first year? You fractured three vertebrae. A broken neck may be less dramatic than a werewolf but just as potentially deleterious to one's health. And yet you allowed that feud to die years ago. It would never occur to you to hold Draco accountable for Lucius' actions."

"Headmaster, you chose to disregard me rather pertinent factor: Narcissa Black is my friend. I will acknowledge your point. Neither Draco nor Potter are carbon copies of their fathers. I would not be surprised to learn that Potter owes any number of aggravating traits to his mother.

"Whereas you can over-look any number of shortcomings in Narcissa Black's only child?" Dumbledor asked shrewdly.

" 'Cissa wanted a girl first." Severus remarked to himself. "She knew Lucius would never give her another child once he had his heir."

"Sometimes I think it would be reassuring if you were in love with her." Dumbledor said. "But even you weren't as close to Lily you must realize that she always meant well. Can you honestly look back on her actions, with an adult's eyes, and fault her for her intentions?"

* * *

_The Marauder's First Year – February_

Severus Snape stomped back toward the Slytherin dorms. All the while he growled under his breath about hotheaded Gryffindors who accused him of using the Dark Arts every single time he preformed a spell they didn't know. "I doubt Pettigrew even knows how to read. It was a simple locator spell. I was trying to find my inkwell for Merlin's sake. Dark Arts my foot! But Pettigrew thinks it's the Dark Arts and no one's ever going to take my word over his even if he is a complete ignoramus. Gryffindors! Spoiled, self-righteous prats ever last one of them. If Potter or Black attacks me one more time I really will use something evil on them, then maybe they'll figure out the difference."

His angry monologue was interrupted by the sound of someone running at him. Severus spun on his heel and drew his wand. His first thought was to wonder why one of the Weasley was accosting him then he realized that the red-head was a dark, auburn red not the fiery orange-red that made the Weasleys one of the most visible families in the Wizarding World and she was a girl.

"Evans." Severus said distastefully.

The green-eyed girl took in Severus' guarded stance with a look that noticed and catalogued everything. "Severus, I wanted to talk with you." She said.

"Why?"

"Well, I've got this study group going. We've got most the subjects pretty well covered; at least someone understands something about most everything, but not Potions. I thought about asking Sirius Black, he certainly knows what to toss in other people's caldrons to cause the maximum amount of chaos, but getting Sirius to be serious… Well I've never met a more misnamed person in my life!"

"I don't socialize with Gryffindors, or help them study." Severus broke in abruptly.

"Sure you don't." Lily waved off his objection. "And it's not just Gryffindors. In fact Remus and I are the only ones. Have you ever tried to make someone from my house sit down and study, I mean really study, not goof around? I mean take James Potter for example; he's absolutely brilliant at Transfiguration and he's pretty good at most of our other subjects too but if it weren't for Remus hounding him he'd fail everything 'cause he'd forget to do the homework."

Severus felt some of his hostility melt away. "Have you heard the Professors' new rule for Black's essays? Minimum parchment length plus maximum letter height."

Lily laughed. "Yes, it's not going to do any good though. I heard Sirius talking about the fact that no one had dictated the distance between lines yet, and when they do remove that loophole he'll just look at it as a challenge. You see why studying with them is less than helpful? The group's got Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs plus Remus and I. We could really use someone who could tutor in potions and frankly it wouldn't hurt you to get some help in Transfiguration."

Severus made a face at the mention of his least favorite subject.

Lily smiled mischievously. "Of course you wouldn't be caught dead hanging around with a Gryffindor… except for the day before yesterday when you and Sirius Black were switching all of Lucius Malfoy's ink. I hear that his notes were all mysteriously gone a few hours after he took them, the ink just vanished right off the parchment. And that certainly wasn't you sleeping on the couch in our common room this morning. I suppose that means Malfoy was really mad this time. But I understand; it would absolutely ruin your reputation if you were seen with, ye gods, Gryffindors. And Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws and if you know any other Slytherin students who'd be willing to honestly work on class work with us you're welcome to invite them along. Still if you'd rather fail Transfiguration? And I have seen you practicing so I know what I'm talking about. Well, be my guest."

"Stop! I surrender." Severus exclaimed. "Do you ever stop talking?"

"Only on nights of the Blue Moon." Lily replied with a cheeky grin. "I'll see you in the library after dinner on Tuesday. Unless you're still sleeping in our common room."

"I'd rather face Malfoy, at least he's consistent, unlike certain bloody, hypocritical Gryffindors!"

"Bye!" Lily said cheerfully and made her escape.

"Lying little rat! 'Who are you going to trust, me or the slimy Slytherin?' Like I care enough to bother with lying to them. If I were going to use the Dark Arts on that miserable excuse for a wizard they'd know it! Because they'd find his liver exploded all over their dorm!" Severus continued his diatribe all the way down to the dungeons.

A portrait of an evil looking wizard glowered down at the boy. "Password?" He demanded.

"Basilisk's Gaze." Severus replied. When the portrait didn't immediately grant him access he stomped his foot angrily. "Tremain, don't tell me they changed the password on me again! Come on, you know me."

"The password is acceptable, I was simply concerned that it's been more than twenty-four hours since I last heard it from your lips. Your too young for me to suspect romance, which means you must have been up to mischief Severus."

The boy rolled his eyes. "Just survival, Tremain. I'm on Malfoy's bad side again."

"And of course it's through no fault of your own." Tremain said sardonically. "Watch yourself with that one boy. He's got a vicious streak."

"Don't I know it."

Severus walked into the Slytherin common room and was immediately accosted by Narcissa Black. The blonde beauty pushed him into a quite corner and exploded. "What were you thinking letting my cousin talk you into pulling an idiotic stunt like that?" She exclaimed. "Lucius is going to kill you. He's going to chop you up into little itty-bitty pieces and feed you to his family's hunting dogs!"

"I didn't know he was going to try to use the ink for Professor McGonagall's test." Severus protested.

"You should have known." Narcissa lectured. "Sirius is such a bad influence on you. You never pull tricks like that unless you know what the likely consequences are going to be."

Narcissa sighed and shook her head. "There's no going back now. We'll just have to try to fix this. You'll go straight to McGonagall and confess, once she tells Lucius that he can retake the test you'll apologize to him. On your knees, I mean it. He really will hurt you Severus."

Severus' expression showed his distaste at Narcissa's plan.

"Do you _like_ the Infirmary that much?" Narcissa demanded. Then she wrinkled her nose as she noticed something. "Did you sleep in those robes? I suppose we've got a little time; go shower and change." She made a shooing motion. "Go, now. What are you waiting for?"

"Yes mother." Severus replied sarcastically

"More of a sister trying to protect her kid brother from the punishment he so richly deserves. You are such a child sometimes Severus." Narcissa gave him a light shove and an affectionate smile. "Go already!"

* * *

Lily glanced at her watch then at the door. She sighed and tapped the tip of her feather against her parchment. 

Remus leaned toward her. "So you actually asked Severus?" He remarked.

"I pestered him into saying yes." Lily admitted. "I thought if I could get a yes out of him pride would make show up. Maybe I pushed too hard."

Remus shrugged. "I haven't seen him outside of classes for a couple of days." He said. "Rumor has it that he confessed to pranking Malfoy. He's probably doing detention, why don't you try inviting him again once he's out of trouble."

"Did Sirius confess too?" Lily asked.

"After all the trouble they went to to make sure Malfoy couldn't prove anything?" Remus replied.

"So why did Severus confess?" A tiny boy in Hufflepuff robes wondered.

"Think Gerry." The exotic looking Ravenclaw to his left exclaimed. She reached out to tap the chastened Gerry on the forehead. "Since when has Malfoy ever needed proof, or even guilt, before he starts dishing out reprisals?"

"And that was why Severus was sleeping on our couch." Lily said. "You guys didn't kick him out did you?" She frowned at Remus. "Sirius really should have confessed too, it's only fair if you aren't going to watch his back."

Remus squirmed. "Snape has got to stop harassing poor Peter." He justified.

"I still think Sirius ought to have confessed as well." Lily said. "So Miss Chang, care to explain the Goblin Wars to all of us slug-a-beds who couldn't make it through Binns' lecture without a nap?"

"Just as long as someone else takes notes for that class next week." The pretty dark-haired girl replied with a flip of her head. "One more day of paying attention to that and I'll die of boredom then there'll be two ghosts in class."

The seven students traded hopeful glances. Gerry produced a deck of exploding snap. "Draw for it, low card takes notes." He suggested.

The others nodded. Gerry shuffled the deck then extended it to his fellow housemate and her Ravenclaw twin. The two girls drew their cards then giggled and simultaneously revealed Kings.

Tia Chang held up her hand. "I'm exempt this time." She insisted.

Lily crossed her fingers for luck, much to the amusement of the wizardborn students and drew a four.

Jessica Bones pondered the choices while absently chewing on the ends of her hair. She picked a five and gave Lily a look that was both relieved and apologetic.

Remus drew a three and made a disgusted face. "Ace is low card right?" He begged.

Gerry drew his card and smirked. "Wouldn't do you any good." He said as he revealed the knave.

Remus sighed and resigned himself to boredom.

"Alright then," Tia said, "the Goblin Wars, which are painfully dull, began in…"

* * *

Narcissa's mouth was pulled into a grim line as she lurked in the halls leading to Gryffindor Tower. 

The first sign of her quarry was a loud whooping. Then James Potter blasted by on a broom. The gust of winded that followed in his wake caught in Narcissa's long wavy hair and set it whipping around her. The other three boys chased after James on foot shouting encouragement.

Narcissa stepped into Sirius' path. The blue-eyed boy skidded to a haut in front of her. " 'Cissa we're at school; go away." Sirius whined.

"Sirius Black I need a word with you." Narcissa's hand shot out. She grabbed Sirius' earlobe and twisted.

"Ouch! Geeze Narcissa!"

The blonde girl stalked off dragging Sirius behind her.

"Need a hand Siri?" Remus' voice was filled with gentle amusement.

Sirius waved casually as he stumbled after Narcissa. "Mr. Lupin may rest assured that Mr. Black has the situation under control… I'm coming 'Cissa, let go!"

Narcissa ignored her younger cousin's pleas and marched him into an empty classroom.

"What's your problem Narcissa?" Sirius demanded.

"You are. You're the reckless, thoughtless… well lets just say stereotypically Gryffindor idiot who talked Severus into forgetting the first rule of surviving in Slytherin: You don't cross Lucius Malfoy. I don't know where Lucius found that thing, but as part of Severus' apology he's had Severus in the stocks except when he's in class."

Sirius winced and shuffled his feet.

"You got him into this so you're going to get him out." Narcissa declared her fists planted on her hips. "It's the Gryffindor thing to do and if you don't Aunty Esterhazy is going to hear a lot of interesting things and I don't care if I have to make them up for her."

"Fine, we'll rescue him." Sirius said.

"No." Narcissa said. "You and your little friends are going to get caught trying to prank our common room. You're going to get one of the Professors to follow you inside. That way it's your fault when we get in trouble, not Severus'. The password's Basilisk's gaze."

"Sure 'Cissa, no problem."

* * *

Severus shifted; he tried to brace his knees against the post and wondered what sort of sadist had dreamed up stocks. The inability to stand straight was killing his back. If he put his weight on the dreadful contraption he hung himself. It was too tall for him to kneel. It was bloody humiliating too and Lucius loved that part. If anyone except Narcissa had asked him to submit to this… Plus it was the survival prone thing to do. 

Well it wasn't like he was missing anything he enjoyed. He hated sleeping at Hogwarts anyway. There wasn't a shielding charm in existence that could make him feel as safe as a simple muggle chair shoved under the doorknob. If he woke up in the middle of the night he could look at the chair, touch it and know that no one and nothing had broken in while he was sleeping. He could and did put warding charms on his canopy bed in the dorms but he knew there were wizards better than him who could walk through his wards like they were as insubstantial as fog.

Sleeping in the dorms while Lucius Malfoy was out for his blood was an impossibility. At least the Gryffindors would probably wake him up before trying to incapacitate him. They were all stupid like that; it was how they ended up Gryffindor.

It wasn't like he would have been sleeping anyway. Outside of class at least; Binns' lectures were always great for catching up on his sleep, the other teachers would wake him up, but Binns never noticed. The weekend was going to be pure hell.

The door to the Slytherin common room flew open and James Potter ran in. He grinned at Severus and waved. Sirius Black was a half step behind him. James shook out a silvery something, spun it around his shoulders and vanished. Severus considered the possibility that he was hallucinating.

"Calvary's on the way Snape." Sirius stopped long enough to pat Severus on the head.

Severus snarled and tried to kick the other boy.

James' disembodied head reappeared. "Siri!" He hissed.

The blue-eyed Gryffindor hurried over to his friend's floating head and they both disappeared.

"What are you two troublemakers…" Professor Viridian, the Head of Slytherin, trailed off with a dismayed expression as he took in the scene in the common room. "I knew it was going to be trouble when Filch reported that his stocks had been stolen." The Moorish Professor muttered. "Mr. Snape, why am I not surprised?"

Severus shrugged as best as he was able and stared at his teacher's feet.

" _Alohomora_." Viridian tapped the lock with his wand and the stocks sprung open. Then he pointed his wand at his throat. "_Sonorus!_ Slytherins, front and center._Quietus._ "

A moment later the common rooms was full of painfully innocent looking students.

"Lets skip the rigmarole." Viridian said. "I know the rules as well as you lot. Mr. Snape won't point the finger, too much like admitting weakness and there'd be payback. None of you came forward so the culprit is either prominent enough to scare you silent or you all dislike Mr. Snape enough to be compliant. None of you will step forward to spare your Housemates… So one hundred points from Slytherin and I'll be making routine inspections of the dorms and common room to insure that you aren't blatantly torturing one another. That will be all witches and wizards."


	7. Seeing Too Clearly 02

** Lessons in Betrayal**

Disclaimer: Characters and Premise belong to JK Rowling.

* * *

Lily hopped up to sit on one of the library tables, sending Severus'  
papers into disarray. "So… You're back on the radar." She said. 

Severus glanced up from his homework in bemused disbelief.

"Muggle expression, don't worry about it." Lily said. "Will you be  
able to make it to the study group tonight or will your housemates  
be holding you prisoner again?"

"Professor Viridian declared my detention finished." Severus said.

"Last I heard students aren't allowed to hand out detention and even  
Filch isn't allowed to use any of his toys on the students." Lily  
remarked.

"I actually prefer it when people talk about me behind my back."  
Severus remarked. poisonously "Gossips are easier to ignore than  
meddlers."

"This time I'll surrender." Lily held up her hands. "All you have  
to do is stay put. The group'll be here in about an hour."

"I won't be chased out, I was here first." Severus declared.

Lily laughed. "Now that's the spirit. I'll be right back. I've  
got to get my books. Remus won't be coming tonight." Lily's face  
fell. "He's sick again. James and the other boys are going to try  
to sneak into the infirmary to visit. I'd understand if you decided  
to go with them."

"Why would I want to visit Lupin?" Snape demanded. "He's probably  
contagious. That would explain why Madam Pomfrey always quarantines  
him during his relapses."

"Right, I forgot Slytherins take pride in taking care of themselves  
first, even when it comes to friends." Lily said with disapproval.

"I am not friends with Lupin!"

"Oh, so it's denial. In that case okay."

"If you care so much why aren't you going?" Severus asked irritably.

"I try not to break the rules. I left flowers and a card with Madam  
Pomfrey." Lily explained. "I suggested the other three Musketeers  
do the same. They thought flowers were too girly and candy, well  
the candy didn't make it back from Hogsmeade alive. They decided  
he'd rather have company anyway."

Lily took a deep breath. "Look, I just ran in here to make sure you  
didn't run off to the dungeons or anything. I still need my school  
books, see you in a few."

Severus watched the redhead run out of the library. "She never does  
shut up." He said to himself.

As promised an hour later Severus found himself surrounded by six  
other first years representing all four Houses. They each dug  
several texts out of their bags, scattered them across the table and  
with in a few minutes everyone was deep in their studies. Lily sat  
the Hufflepuff boy, Gerry Abbot beside Severus after introducing him  
as their top Transfiguration student.

Gerry blushed at Lily's praise. "It's just that both my parents are  
Animagus. I want to be able to do that too someday, so I study  
really hard in Professor McGonagall's class. When I know more I'm  
going to ask her if she'll tutor me in Animagus transformations." He  
explained.

"As if I care." Severus remarked and won a disapproving kick under  
the table from Lily. Severus practically tipped his chair over by  
jumping backward. Everyone at the table, plus Madam Pince and a few  
other students studying in the library, stared at him. Severus  
flushed and glared angrily at Lily.

"I think Severus is still stuck on the matchstick-needle  
transfiguration." Lily remarked unperturbed.

"Ouch." Gerry remarked. He gestured for Severus to move to a  
separate table so they could talk without disturbing the others too  
much.

After around fifteen minutes the soft, continuous cursing coming  
from their corner of the library drew an audience. The matchstick  
was still a matchstick.

"No, you've got to envision it as a needle." Gerry said with a hint  
of exasperation. "Can't you see the potential for it to be a  
needle?"

"It's a bloody matchstick!" Severus said irritably. "If I added a  
few things, worked a little alchemy, then it could turn into a  
needle, or at least a metal, but on it's own needles and matchsticks  
have no common properties."

"You're thinking too deep." Tia remarked. "This isn't potions, we  
don't care about its properties really. In transfiguration anything  
can become anything else, it's up to you."

Gerry nodded eagerly. "That's it exactly. I mean a desk and a pig  
have nothing in common… Actually Professor McGonagall only uses the  
pig-desk the first day. She doesn't really turn the desk into a  
pig; it was a pig to start with she just turns it back into a pig.  
One thing you can't do is make a living animal out of something that  
isn't alive itself, but if you're good you can make a living thing  
into an inanimate object without any problems. Have you ever  
watched the second years trying to turn their familiars into mugs?  
Most of them end up with animate mugs that squeal and complain about  
their new shape."

"Fascinating." Severus deadpanned. "But the damned match?"

"Well it's supposed to be easy." Gerry garnered a dark look with  
that comment. He hurried onward. "They're both long and skinny.  
They're about the same size. Professor McGonagall didn't expect you  
to start thinking about how one's wood and the other's metal. You  
were just supposed to pretend that the matchstick is a needle then,  
voila!" Gerry waved his wand and the matchstick slimmed down,  
turned shiny and grew points. A second wave of his wand restored it  
to its original form. "Now you try, forget about how they're  
different. Think about how they're alike."

Severus glared at his audience. With innocent looks the other  
students pretended to turn back to their own studies.

Severus set the matchstick on the table in front of him. Needles  
were thin slivers of metal smooth, highly polished and sharply  
pointed, with an eye on one end. The matchstick was a thin cylinder  
of wo… well it was thin and cylindrical, everything else about it  
would have to go.

The matchstick stubbornly refused to give up being a matchstick.  
Severus glared evilly at it. Well it if wouldn't stop embarrassing  
him it could just be charcoal! The match and then the table caught  
fire at Severus' whispered spell.

Gerry used the end of his robes to smoother the flames. "Well  
enough of that for today." He patted Severus on the shoulder. "Err,  
keep trying, I'm sure you'll get it."

Severus knocked the other boy's hand away and when back to glaring  
at the charred spot on the table that had formerly been a matchstick.

* * *

When Severus returned to the Dungeons after his last Friday class he  
found his father waiting for him. 

"Why aren't you packed?" The older man demanded. "You knew I was  
coming."

"I… I forgot." Severus admitted. In his head he added a bit about  
it being a busy week, what with spending most of it in Lucius'  
stocks and somehow ending up being tutored by a Hufflepuff because  
of that insane Gryffindor girl.

"We'll see what else you've forgotten as soon as we get home."  
Artalocus threatened.

Severus felt a spark of fear and resentment at his father's tone.  
Consciously he nursed that spark into a flame; he knew he'd need the  
darker sort of power it would grant him later on. After every  
weekend spent at home it came easier. If he used it at school  
Severus thought he might be able to stand up to Malfoy on his own,  
but his father forbade that. Still, sometimes it came out on its  
own; flashes and starts of a sort of magic that wasn't taught at  
Hogwarts.

Sometimes he felt tired and sick afterwards in a way that he  
couldn't blame on too many healing potions, constantly maintaining  
the roiling ball of anger, frustration and hurt that fueled his new  
powers for days at a time felt bad. It was a different from the  
protective hostility that served as his primary defense when he  
found himself in uncomfortable, well social, situations. Severus  
wished he could talk to his mother about it, but his father said  
no. He said she'd interfere if Severus told her that Artalocus was  
calling him home nearly every weekend.

Just over a week after Severus had returned to Hogwarts following  
the winter break Desmona Snape left for France to visit her  
relatives. She frequently wrote to her son about how much she loved  
her childhood home, about how beautiful it was and about his  
relatives, that he had a cousin twice removed who was about his  
age. She promised she'd be there to meet the Hogwarts Express when  
the term ended for the summer.

Severus didn't know what it meant or how he should feel about it.  
But it could wait until summer and in the meantime he practiced  
dueling with his father on the weekends. He gathered up a few sets  
of clothes and his homework for the next week. As quickly as he  
could Severus dumped out his satchel and stuffed the needed items  
inside then hurried back to the hall outside the common room where  
his father waited for him.

They walked down the hall to Professor Viridian's office; the floo's  
in the professors' offices were the only ones at Hogwarts that were  
connected to the floo network. Viridian greeted them with a  
reserved nod.

"I'll have the boy back before breakfast Monday morning, Vindicus,"  
Artalocus promised.

"I know I've had my objections in the past," Viridian said  
quietly, "but at the moment I'm tempted to ask you to keep him home  
for a few days more and damn the missed classes."

Artalocus gave his son a dark look. "What has he done now?" He  
demanded.

Viridian considered the question carefully. "Severus doesn't pick  
his fights with much thought to the future and his allies are  
unreliable."

"I'll discuss prudence and politics with him this weekend."  
Artalocus stated and Severus flinched at the dark promise in his  
father's tone.

* * *

Severus lay in his bed listening to the Bogarts. They were louder  
than normal tonight. They didn't just thump and bang; they  
screamed. Tonight they screamed and sometimes they sounded almost  
human. 

Severus remembered the connections he'd made when Harold Potter  
asked Sirius about Voldemort: His father's increased magic, his  
parents' fighting, the Bogarts…

Harold Potter was bizarrely nice. Very few people noticed Severus  
or showed much interest in the sullen, awkward child. James' dad  
talked to him, asked him about what he liked and offered  
encouragement when Severus had expected to be mocked. Harold was  
very interested in Voldemort, interested enough to subtly  
interrogate his son's friends about the man. Of course Harold had  
backtracked when Sirius had offered to help but Sirius was a  
reckless Gryffindor without a cautious or subtle bone in his body.

The changes in his father. The fights about Voldemort. The noises  
in the North attic.

Severus knew better than to tell tales or go putting his nose where  
it didn't belong. But his father hadn't offered him one word of  
encouragement all weekend. He'd broken his father's shields three  
times. He'd learned a dozen new spells. He hadn't complained at  
all when one of his father's attacks had dislocated his shoulder and  
broken three of his ribs. Not one single word of praise, just  
complaints about how he dealt with Malfoy, about his progress,  
everything.

And his mother still wasn't home from France.

His mother was gone, his father was different because of the Bogarts  
in the attic. Harold Potter was an Auror, he could make the Bogarts  
go away; if he had proof they existed.

Severus got out of bed and pulled his robes on. He quietly removed  
the chair jammed under the doorknob and crept out into the hall.  
His knuckles were bone white from his grip on his wand.

The wind whistled around the run down manor, it snuck in through  
cracks and sent cold breezes inside to caress Severus' face and bare  
feet. It banged loose shutters and roof tiles. Beneath the sound  
of the wind the Bogarts cried and whimpered and shrieked and  
laughed. High pitched, wicked laughter.

Shadows choked the stairs to the North attic. The darkness was a  
living, oppressive weight bent on crushing the air out of Severus'  
lungs. The only relief from the blackness was a thin line of light  
seeping out from beneath the door at the top of the stairs.

Severus fixed his eyes on that light. He forced himself to walk  
slowly and calmly up those stairs toward the light so there weren't  
any creaking floor boards to give him away. His hand curled gently  
around the doorknob, he turned it smoothly and silently, eased the  
door open a crack then peered inside.

At first all he saw was a sea of cowled, black robes then one of the  
anonymous forms moved and Severus say between them to the heart of  
the crowd. A golden blonde man like a prince from a children's tale  
stood there smiling, his wand was pointed at something on the  
floor. "_Crucio_." He said lovingly.

The thing on the floor convulsed and screamed. It reached out a  
pleading hand to the golden prince and Severus realized that the  
tortured thing on the floor was a person. He gasped and stumbled  
backward. His heel missed the top of the landing and he fell  
backwards. He flailed and caught the railing. His body collided  
loudly with the wall.

Before Severus could catch his balance the door at the top of the  
stairs was thrown open. A black shadow with a skull-like face  
loomed over the boy. It grabbed Severus by his arm and hauled him  
into the attic like a rag doll. It dropped him at the Prince's feet  
beside the tortured person.

Severus carefully didn't look at the other person in the center of  
the circle of shadows or at the prince. He drew his legs in to his  
chest and scooted away from the person as if their agony was a  
contagious condition.

One of the shadows detached itself from the mob. It moved toward  
Severus then stopped and knelt. "My lord."

Severus stared at the shadow kneeling beside him that spoke with his  
father's voice. "Dad?" He asked in a small, hopeful voice.

"Artalocus, your son is ill-mannered." The prince remarked.

The shadow stood. It pointed its wand at Severus then glanced over  
its shoulder at the prince. The golden man nodded his approval and  
the shadow with Artalocus Snape's voice quietly said. "_Crucio_."

Severus wailed, high and piteous, as his body was consumed. Fire  
and ice, acid and knives, pain, impossible, unimaginable pain…

… Severus woke up sobbing against his father's shoulder. He was in  
his bed and his father was holding him, stroking his hair. "Shh, it  
was a nightmare, just a nightmare." His father murmured comfortingly.

Severus couldn't stop shaking or crying. He could taste the residue  
of potions coating his mouth. He didn't understand why his father  
was holding him or how anyone could have gotten into his room; he  
always barricaded the door.

"Idiot, are you a muggle or a wizard? He apparated." A voice  
snapped at Severus from the depths of his mind. Severus started  
giggling at the idea of being insulted by imaginary voices in his  
own head. The giggling quickly escalated into hysteria.

Artalocus shifted the child in his arms. He held a small vial under  
Severus' nose then used his thumb to open it. The vapors filled  
Severus' mind with soft cottony clouds that isolated him from  
reality.

"I don't remember." Severus said in a sleepy, vaguely distressed  
voice.

"It's alright. You're safe here, you'll always be safe in this  
room." Artalocus promised. "Sleep, don't think about it. It was  
just a bad dream."

* * *

Monday morning Lily Evans froze with a spoon full of porridge  
halfway to her mouth. It wasn't the first time Severus Snape had  
arrived for breakfast with shadows around his eyes dark enough to be  
mistaken for bruises or holding himself as if the slightest brush  
would cause overwhelming pain, but she wasn't used to the lost,  
confused look in his eyes, something was wrong but it looked like  
even Severus didn't know what. Beyond that Lily knew for a fact  
that their classmates' bullying wasn't responsible for once. 

When Severus had missed their study session Saturday Tia had said  
she'd seen his father in the entrance hall Friday and Remus said  
Severus told Sirius that his father tutored him in advanced potions  
and stuff on the weekends. So Severus hadn't been at school to be  
bullied for the last few days.

A Hufflepuff dropped her tray it hit the floor with a loud clatter.  
Severus threw himself away from the perceived threat. His wand came  
to his hand in a heartbeat. For a moment he remained plastered  
against the wall, his eyes wide and white rimmed. When he realized  
he wasn't under attack his hands started shaking, he buried them in  
the folds of his robe then gingerly took a seat at the Slytherin  
table.

An explosion from the other end of the Gryffindor table disrupted  
Lily's thoughts. She glanced heavenward and shook her head as she  
caught sight of James and Sirius' faces. From her observations it  
seemed the two of them couldn't go five minutes without doing  
something to draw attention to themselves. It was such a waste.  
James was probably the smartest person in their year but all he  
wanted to do was fill his head with pranks and nonsense.

Professor McGonagall marched to the table there was a stern  
expression on her face. The students on either side of James and  
Sirius were covered with bits of food. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Black would  
you care to explain how it is that the two of you are the only ones  
in the vicinity who are not wearing their breakfast?"

The two boys glanced at each other then turned large, shining eyes  
on their Professor. In unison they announced. "Good reflexes?"

"Just wait till you see us at the Quidditch Pitch next year." James  
added enthusiastically.

A hint of a smile twitched at the corner of their House Head's  
mouth. "Ten point from Gryffindor." She said. "And do try to keep  
your amusements from disrupting meals in the future."

"Yes ma'am." Sirius replied promptly and with a grin. "We'll keep  
them out of sight and out of mind."

McGonagall shook her head. With a wave of her wand she cleaned up  
the mess then strolled back to the Professor's table.

On the other side of the room Severus rearranged his breakfast  
repeatedly. He knew his mother would tell him that he needed to  
eat, but he didn't feel like it. The taste of the potions he'd  
ingested still lingered in his mouth and his head felt funny, it was  
like a metaphorical missing tooth; he just couldn't stop poking at  
the empty spot in his head. The normal dull ache and increased  
sensitivity that followed his duels with his father seemed a hundred  
times worse this time. He didn't want to eat then go to class, he  
wanted someplace safe where he could curl up and sleep for hours and  
hours. The fact that he couldn't think of any place that felt safe  
was depressing.

His father had been distinctly not happy about his continuing feud  
with Lucius Malfoy and the dueling lessons had been much worse than  
normal. The only hint of approval he'd received was for the fact  
that Narcissa was trying to help him smooth things over with  
Malfoy. Then there was that nightmare, the one he couldn't quite  
remember, the one he wasn't thinking about, and his father's odd  
behavior afterwards, but he wasn't going to think about that  
either. No sir, he wasn't thinking about any of that, and he hadn't  
been thinking about it five minutes earlier either. He was thinking  
about the fact that his father was pleased that Narcissa Black liked  
him, that was worth thinking about, unlike the other stuff.

When Black, Potter, Pettigrew and Lupin left their table Severus  
gritted his teeth and went after them. He wasn't ready to forget  
about the way Black had automatically taken Pettigrew's word as fact  
but apparently the only thing he was doing right was establishing  
ties with the Blacks. Not Sirius obviously, but if he approached  
Narcissa any progress she'd made with Malfoy would be for not.

Once they were away from the Great Hall Severus confronted  
Sirius. "Black, I helped you get around your mother's wishes, you  
owe me."

Sirius glanced at his friends. James looked disinterested. Peter  
was glaring hatefully at Snape. Remus gave him an encouraging smile.

"What do you want?" Sirius demanded.

Severus shifted nervously. "If your parents would have my father  
over for tea or something, he'd like it. If he were happy my next  
weekend at home would be less miserable. You do owe me."

"Is that Slytherin for please'?" Sirius asked with a smirk. Before  
Severus could get defensive he added. "Sure, I'll tell my dad  
what's going on, he'll figure out how to present it to my mother."

Severus bit his tongue to cut off the retort he wanted to make and  
stomped away.

"You're welcome!" Sirius called sweetly after him and won a laugh  
from his friends.


	8. Seeing Too Clearly 03

**Discerning Patterns**

Disclaimer: Characters and setting are the property of J.K. Rowling, I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit fun.

* * *

Weeks passed and life at Hogwarts settled into routines.

Severus skimmed through the potions essay belonging to the Ravenclaw half of the twins. "Are you certain your sister didn't write this fodderall?" He asked dryly. "I thought Ravenclaws were supposed to be intelligent."

Lily groaned and buried her face in her hands. Remus stuck his hands in his pockets and looked at the ceiling. Every Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw at the table glared at the Slytherin boy; every single one of them looked thoroughly offended.

Chelsea snatched her essay back. "I asked you for help." She accused.

"Severus could we talk." Lily stated. She pointed toward the hall. Severus ignored her so Lily grabbed his arm and levered him out of his chair, ready and willing to drag him into the hall if need be. He jerked his arm free and went for his wand only to have Lupin _accio_ it away from him. "Give it back." Severus growled.

"When it seems prudent." Remus replied. "Madam Pince is giving you the evil eye. You'd best take it out in the hall before she really gets mad."

"Give me my wand and I'll leave." Severus demanded.

"After we talk." Lily decreed. She held out her hand and Remus surrendered the disputed item.

Lily stalked out of the library. Severus stared after her with a mutinous expression then gave in and followed his wand into the hall. Lily was a whole head shorter than the Slytherin boy but she glared up at him with a look in her startling green eyes that made him feel like he was being dressed down by one of his Professors.

"Has anyone made _one_ crack about your problems in Transfiguration?" Lily demanded then went on without giving him a chance to reply. "I know you've got the manners of a dragon with an ingrown toenail but here's a simple rule: If you can't say something nice then keep your mouth shut!"

"There was nothing _nice_ to say about that mockery of an essay. I thought we were attempting to correct each other's deficiencies." Severus replied snidely.

"Try saying that nicely then!" Lily spat. "That means without insults by the way. Chelsea's Ravenclaw for gosh sakes, talk about hitting a person where it hurts. And Hufflepuffs aren't stupid for your information."

"Contrary to popular opinion?" Severus shot back.

Lily silently glared up at him for ten breaths then in a calmer voice she said. "Has it ever occurred to you that everyone has a bit of all the Houses in them? Look at the study group for example. We're here studying on a Saturday night. We obviously care about our grades: Ravenclaw. We're working really hard to learn this stuff: Hufflepuff. We bravely ignoring the possibility of censure from our housemates for going against tradition and working together: Gryffindor. And we're conspiring to get a decent grade in History without suffering through all of Professor Binns' dreadful lectures: Slytherin."

"I have nothing to loose by going against tradition. My whole house hates me anyway." Severus pointed out.

Lily waved his rebuttal away. "You could be toadying up to Malfoy if you really wanted to. Besides the Hat told me most everyone is a mix. I'm more evenly balanced than most so we had a bit of a chat before it placed me. It said the sorting isn't just about which qualities a person has in the greatest measure, it's about the ones we value because those are the ones we're likely to develop the most."

"Your point?" Severus asked when the red headed girl stopped to breathe.

"Chelsea works for every grade she gets, she really cares a lot about how she does in class. Being a Ravenclaw doesn't make her smart, it means academics are the most important thing to her. So what you said was really nasty. And you shouldn't stereotype, its not only rude it's stupid and that's your favorite put down isn't it?" Lily tossed Severus his wand. "I don't want to chase you off but could you try, just a little bit, to be nice?" With that the redhead walked back into the library and left Severus standing in the darkened hallway alone.

Severus kicked the closed door. "Narcissa says manners are for when you can't just take what you want. They're not for Hufflepuffish-Ravenclaws who get teary at being presented with simple facts." He turned his back on the library then hesitated. "Still, Narcissa did say I need to practice not insulting Malfoy every time I open my mouth… might as well practice on someone who doesn't matter…"

After that Severus made a point of speaking less during the study session. He kept on attending them; he was improving in Transfiguration after all, abet slowly, and he didn't really have anything else to do with his time. But he limited himself to curt, dry responses. Remus claimed that the textbooks had more life in them than he did. It probably wasn't exactly what Narcissa intended, but it did elicit an interesting reaction from Lily. Severus knew that his withdrawn manner upset the Gryffindor girl. She blamed herself and did her best to draw him into the group despite his stubborn resistance. Severus found her continuing efforts rather gratifying even if Lupin did accuse him of acting like a two-year-old sulking for attention.

Orion Black was as good as his son's word and found ways to introduce Artalocus Snape into his family's social circles. Thus the weekends at home improved a little from Severus' point of view. His father started acknowledging it when he did something right.

Severus determined that he disliked Pettigrew more than any of the other Gryffindors and promptly mended fences with Sirius since it was apparent that the most efficient way of driving the diminutive Gryffindor into a fury was for Severus to maintain his relationship with Black.

At Narcissa's urging Severus started feeding Malfoy information about his and Sirius' pranks beforehand. Once Lucius trusted him a bit Severus began mixing in false alerts and occasionally he 'missed hearing about a prank' because Sirius 'suspected him of being the informant.' Narcissa frowned on those sorts of games but she didn't give him away and Severus enjoyed putting Malfoy through his paces too much to quit, even in the face of Narcissa's censure. Despite his family background Sirius was too Gryffindor to actually suspect Severus of being behind the failed pranks. He knew Severus really hated Malfoy and thus assumed he knew everything relevant. Sirius never bothered considering how Severus benefited from selling them out to Malfoy on occasion.

Away from Lily Severus felt free to sharpen his tongue at Lupin's expense. To his annoyance the most easy-going member of the Gryffindor quartet had apparently decided not to take anything Severus said personally. Remus seemed to like having another non-Quidditch player around and Severus was shocked to learn that there was another person outside of Ravenclaw who read as many books as he did. They disagree on every point of discussion, even if Severus had to change his mind in order to be in disagreement but that was okay because arguing was so much easier than talking.

Occasionally James forgot himself and insulted Severus directly instead of pretending that the Slytherin boy didn't exist or if he did exist, he certainly wasn't in the room. Severus didn't like James anymore than James liked him, but he hated being treated like he was invisible so it was always a good day when he managed to get James angry enough to fight.

Desmona's letters sounded happy and relaxed, it was hard for Severus to remember a time when his mother had sounded like that at home. He just hoped her improved spirits would last after she came back. He worried that maybe she would decide to stay in France forever, but then she'd promised to meet the train and she'd never once broken a promise made to him.

After a careful consideration of his life, Severus tentatively decided that he was happy with the way things were and should do his best to avoid anything that might cause changes. Happiness seemed like a very delicate thing and he didn't want to break it.

* * *

In the last week of March Lucius Malfoy decided to notice the existence of Lily Evans. He called her a mudblood and hexed her cross-eyed because she'd been sitting on the steps talking with her friends and he decided that she was in his way.

One of Lily's friends helped the visually impaired girl to the infirmary. As they stepped through the doors Severus' angry, oddly stuffy, voice became audible. "My healing potions are just fine!"

"I'm certain that they are." Madam Pomfrey replied coolly. "The fact remains; you take too many of them. You've ended up here three times since the holidays and every time your body has been saturated with potions. If you were seriously injured I'd be as helpless as a muggle. You can't take potions for every little scrape and bruise, it's not healthy."

"I don't!" Severus yelled. He hopped off the bed and tried to storm out of the Infirmary.

Madam Pomfrey flicked her wand and the enraged boy was summoned back to the bed he'd just abandoned. "You'll stay put until I've spoken with Professor Dumbledor… Oh, Miss Evans I didn't see you there. What brings you to my infirmary?"

Lily stood there, her mouth gaping open with surprise. She blinked at Madam Pomfrey as if she'd forgotten her reason for coming. The instant she tried to focus on the healer she remembered her problem. "They're stuck." Lily said plaintively.

Madam Pomfrey shook her head. "The things you children are always doing to one another." She flicked her wand and Lily's eyes uncrossed. Then the Healer bustled off to contact Dumbledor.

Lily hopped up to sit beside Severus. "I got hexed by Malfoy. What happened to you?" She asked.

"Those idiots set a Bludger loose in the castle." He exclaimed as he gingerly poked at his swollen nose.

"Oh not again." Lily sighed. "Last time James broke his glasses and sliced up his cheek."

"So why didn't Madam Pomfrey just magic that away?" Lily asked with a gesture toward Severus' broken nose.

"Because she's a closet sadist and she hates me." Severus complained.

"I heard what she said about you taking too many potions." Lily forged on. "Why? I know you hang out with James and Sirius and they rough house pretty hard but still..."

"It's none of your business." Severus snapped.

"If someone's really hurting you you need to tell Madam Pomfrey or the head of Slytherin or Professor Dumbledor or someone." Lily pressed.

"I said leave me alone! Are you deaf or stupid, mudblood?" Severus shouted.

Lily scowled. "Now you sound like Malfoy's crowd. Why don't you go wash your mouth out with soap?" Eyes flashing the redheaded witch stalked out of the infirmary with her head held high.

After that incident Severus didn't enjoy it when Lily's worried eyes followed him anymore. He didn't know what those piercing green eyes saw when they looked at him. They made him feel like he was on a dissection table.

* * *

One Monday morning in the middle of May Lily Evans scandalized the entire school by plonking her tray down at the Slytherin table beside Severus.

"Hello, how was your visit home?" She asked.

"What do you think you're doing?" Severus hissed.

"You want to know how I knew?" Lily continued. "Well I looked up what it does to you when you OD on healing potions. It makes your whole body feel tender and raw because you've got too many new cells being born all at once. Severus, every time you go home you hold yourself really gingerly when you come back, not like you're protecting a bruise, like everything hurts. Plus you're even jumpier than you are normally."

"What do you want?"

"Severus, you have to tell one of the professors that your parents are abusing you." Lily said earnestly.

"What the bloody hell are you on?" Severus stood so abruptly that he almost tripped over the bench as he hurriedly left the Great Hall.

Lily ran after him. She caught up to him in one of the school's multitude of corridors and grabbed his arm. Severus spun around and punched her. Lily ignored the throbbing in her cheek. "You have to!" She reiterated then quickly continued. "There was a kid in my old muggle school, you act exactly like him. One day he just stopped coming to school, a week later we were at his funeral. His dad killed him. I know the Wizarding World can fix practically anything, good as new in a couple of minutes, but magic can't undo dead. You have to tell someone."

"You're crazy! You're insane! …You are _imagining_ things!" Severus ranted.

He was still shouting when Professor McGonagall found them. Lily's cheek and eye was in the process of turning a rich shade of purple.

"Young man, you'll go straight to my office and wait for me there. Miss Evans, I believe you need to see Madam Pomfrey." McGonagall stated.

"No!" Lily exclaimed. "Severus, tell her."

"Idiot mudblood. You don't know anything!"

"Mr. Snape, my office now!" McGonagall ordered.

"I'm fine Professor." Lily protested.

"Miss Evans…"

"I'm going, but you shouldn't punish Severus." Lily stared directly at the dark-eyed boy. "I startled him. I know how on edge he gets after seeing his parents. I grabbed his arm, it probably hurt, since he's chock full of healing potions, again."

"Quit raving you crazy bint!" Severus hissed desperately.

McGonagall pursed her lips, the boy was so furious he was shaking. If the castle hadn't been warded against accidental magic she expect that every light fixture in the corridor would have cracked. "Miss Evans I will deal with this, you will report to the Infirmary, immediately."

Lily sighed with relief. "Yes ma'am."

Once the Gryffindor girl had gone Severus wrapped his arms around his chest and sagged against the wall.

"Ten points for language, Mr. Snape." Professor McGonagall said calmly. "Now would you care to explain why Miss Evans upsets you so badly?"

"She doesn't know anything." Severus insisted.

"Madam Pomfrey has mentioned her difficulties in treating you recently."

"I'm learning to duel." Severus felt his emotions slip beneath an icy shield. It was the same shield that separated him from his temper when he needed to pander to Malfoy's ego, Narcissa had been teaching him to do that. "I'm not very good yet. I get bruised up, but nothing worse than I'd get playing Quidditch, really. It's embarrassing so I heal the bruises."

McGonagall frowned slightly.

"If I were really in danger my magic would protect me. I'm not a squib you know." Severus added. "She's thinking muggle. Nothing is wrong."

"There is an adjustment period." McGonagall admitted. "However, I'm going to speak to Professor Viridian about monitoring your use of potions more closely."

"Fine, I swear, I won't do it anymore." Severus promised and McGonagall let him go.


	9. Seeing Too Clearly 04

**Hiding in Plain Sight**

Disclaimer: Characters and setting are the property of J.K. Rowling, I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit fun.

Thanks for the feedback: mon andAthena Keating-Thomas, it's always nice to know someone is reading a story.

* * *

James caught up with Severus right after his first morning class. "I saw Evans, before she made it to the Infirmary," he said darkly. "You can't hit girls."

Severus' temper was already horribly frayed and the fact that he was guilty of James' accusation didn't help matters any.

"_Expelliarmus_!" James exclaimed before Severus could curse him.

James' use of the spell had little in common with Artalocus'. When cast by Artalocus Snape the disarming spell hit its target like tsunami. The spell, as taught to James but Harold Potter, was a much more precise application of force. Severus automatically braced himself for impact. To his shock James' spell simply popped his wand out of his hand like a cork from a bottle.

With Quidditch-honed reflexes James plucked the wand from the air. A crowd gathered around the two boys. Sirius moved up to stand beside James. Peter smirked gleefully from the sidelines. Remus chewed on his lower lip. Severus stared at his wand with a desperate longing, without it he was as good as helpless. James glanced at his audience.

"Snape," James' voice changed the very real anger he'd felt at seeing Lily's black-eye shaded into something more theatrical as he played to the crowd. "You're a danger to everyone around you. You shouldn't even be allowed to go to school here."

"Give me back my wand!" Severus hissed.

James twirled Severus' wand between his fingers. "You want it? Come get it."

Severus lunged at James. The bespectacled boy twisted lightly to the side. Severus stumbled and fell on his face. The other students laughed. Severus started back to his knees. Sirius shoved him back down then he wrapped an arm around James' shoulders. "I think we wasted enough time on him," he said as he steered James away. Sirius slid Severus' wand out of James' hand and tossed it on the ground several feet from the Slytherin boy.

Severus scrambled for his wand. At the last moment Peter kicked it into the crowd.

Severus leapt to his feat and lunged for the diminutive Gryffindor's throat. Severus and Peter went down together in a tangle of flailing limbs.

Sirius and James pointed their wands at the pair on the floor only to realize that they couldn't hex Severus without hitting Peter. With a shrug James launched himself into the brawl and promptly caught Peter's elbow with his face.

"Hey, I want in on the fun!" Sirius exclaimed. He plowed in doing equal damage to all parties.

"What is the meaning of this!" McGonagall's stern voice demanded.

Ten minutes later the four boys sat in Professor McGonagall's office. James was nursing a bloody nose. Peter gingerly touched the lump on the back of his head and winced. Sirius curiously poked his tongue through the new hole in his teeth. Severus held a handkerchief to the bloody gash across his cheekbone but there was a satisfied smirk on his face.

* * *

The weekend came and for Severus another visit home came with it.

"_Expelliarmus._"

Severus ignored the crack and the pain that told him he'd broken his arm, one more time. He twisted to face his father even as he fell to his knees. "_Congelo! Laedo!"_ The combination of spells made Artalocus' shields rigid then shattered them. "_Expelliarmus._"

"_Protego!_" Artalocus threw up a quick backup shield.

"_SEAR!_" Severus responded. He knew _Protego_ would stop his magic but not the heat generated by the spell.

Artalocus broke into a sweat. His skin flushed as if he'd stepped into an oven. The sudden blast of heat made him sway. "_Stupefy._"

Already reeling from shock Severus stood a snowball's change of throwing off the stunning spell. Artalocus left his son crumpled on the floor while he went to collect the appropriate potions.

"_Ennervate._" Artalocus watched coldly as Severus struggled to sit up. "Give me your arm."

Severus blinked blearily. "Can't, no more healing potions. Madam Pomfrey says," he mumbled.

Artalocus gave his son a long evaluating stare. "I won't allow you to walk around with broken bones, but if you wish I'll leave the soft tissue damage untreated."

Severus nodded and carefully presented his arm to be healed.

Artalocus pushed back Severus' sleeve to reveal the break. There was a distinct bump where the broken end of the bone was pushing up underneath his flesh. His skin was a dark, angry red. " I Derigomortus /I ," Artalocus cast. The bone realigned and he gave Severus the bone-knit potion to ensure that they would stay that way. It did nothing to correct the heavy bruising.

"How did you explain your need for the potions?" Artalocus asked.

"I told them about learning to duel," Severus admitted. "I told them the bruises embarrassed me, but you never really hurt me. You don't! It's just, Madam Pomfrey's a Hufflepuff; you know how they are! And McGonagall's a Gryffindor, she probably thinks it's good that Potter bosses his parents around."

"It isn't a good thing to display your failings Severus," Artalocus said after a moment. "That's why I heal your bruises. The muscle ache and the weight loss problems are preferable to advertising your vulnerabilities. I believe we've done enough dueling for this weekend. Instead I'm going to teach you some glamours so you will be able to hide your bruises without healing them."

Severus nodded grimly.

* * *

Remus smiled and gave James a quick thumbs up when the Seeker-hopeful displayed the snitch he'd captured. Sirius flew up behind his friend and startled James into dropping the winged, golden ball. The escaped Snitch fluttered off and the chase was on again.

Remus was about to return to his studying when Severus caught his attention by slamming his text shut. Remus frowned; he normally left these sorts of confrontations to others. He didn't like confrontations. Debates weren't totally odious, even debates with Severus Snape, one just had to learn to tune out the personal commentary that littered Severus' otherwise interesting arguments. This was going to be a confrontation, not a debate.

James' style of confrontation was obviously not going to be helpful. James didn't actually want to change Severus' thinking, he just extended an invitation to fight then everyone ended up doing detentions. Sirius was pretty much the same, Remus suspected that Sirius did know some tricks for managing the prickly Slytherin but he didn't demonstrate them in front of other Gryffindors. Poor Peter wouldn't dare say boo to Snape for fear of setting off the other boy's volatile temper. Narcissa Black could have told Severus to streak the Great Hall and his only question would have been if she would rather he did it at lunch or dinner, but everyone knew he had an utterly hopeless crush on the older girl. Lily was truly the only one who had much success in getting Severus to moderate his behavior, even if she did let him get away with guilt-tripping her and even Lily wasn't having any luck at the moment. That was why Remus felt obligated to made an attempt.

"You're being a real prat to Lily, even considering that it's you," he remarked. "She thinks it's her fault you won't come to the study group anymore."

"So the busybody can get her facts straight once and a while," Severus replied. "I suppose that proves the law of averages."

Remus' mouth tightened. "It's disgusting how much you enjoy making everyone around you miserable. Lily makes a real, honest effort to be friends with you and you act like this."

"I live in hope that it will teach her that meddling is a nasty habit."

"Severus!" Remus exclaimed in frustration. "You hit her. You owe it to her not to make her feel guilty. Besides you get as much out of the study group as anyone, it's not particularly Slytherin to give it up because you're in a snit."

"Trust me, grudge holding is a very Slytherin trait," Severus replied. "I hope she chokes on guilt, she had no business…"

"What exactly did you guys fight about that was so awful?" Remus asked. He hoped knowing the source of the problem might provide a clue for solving it.

Severus snatched up his satchel and stomped off.

"Talking to him is hopeless, utterly hopeless!" Remus exclaimed in disgust.

* * *

Severus shoved his book away and got up to pace restlessly around the deserted room he'd discovered on one of the lower levels of the dungeons. The room was dusty, windowless and the house elves apparently used it as storage place for furniture that had become too worn for the common rooms. Severus could think of any number of places he would rather be but for all its shortcomings the room had one extremely desirable feature: No one would think to look for him there.

Lily's group was in the library, going there would be like inviting the red headed Gryffindor to start in on the I utter nonsense /I she thought up again.

If he were to go to the Slytherin common room when he habitually studied with… not friends… If he did that it would be as good as announcing that he was totally without allies again.

Severus had the password to Gryffindor Tower but he wasn't in the mood for a fight. Pettigrew and Potter were still going on about McGonagall giving them detention, not to mention the fact that she'd taken points on a per person basis for the brawl. Which meant Gryffindor had come off much worse than Slytherin in that exchange, especially since they'd all been bloodied. Lupin was in the library with Lily, so there went any chance for studying or intelligent conversation. Black was hyperactive idiot when he wasn't plotting mischief. Potter wouldn't be in the mood to just exchange barbs and more detention or point-deductions wouldn't help anything. And Pettigrew…

Lily's little theory about the Hat weighting the qualities a person valued more heavily than those they possessed made Pettigrew a very disturbing person to be around. Gryffindors were supposed to be predictable; too caught up in their silly notions of honorable conduct to take advantage of circumstances or to do what it took to get their way. If Pettigrew were Slytherin Severus' first thought would have been that the smaller boy was lying and manipulating things to stir up his stronger friends against Severus. But Pettigrew was Gryffindor so Severus had believed that he was just dumb and prone to jumping to conclusions. If Pettigrew was a poor excuse for a Gryffindor he was an annoying pest, if he were a Slytherin he could be dangerous… The Hat put him in Gryffindor and that was that.

And so there was nowhere for him to go. Severus sat down for a few moments and tried to focus on his studies only to resume pacing almost immediately.

The members of his house were every bit as predictable as the Gryffindors in their own way. With them everything could be boiled down to currency. What were the other person's goals and how much could he do to help or hinder them if he so chose? Unfortunately the only currency he had to spend was the information he garnered through his unique relationship with the Gryffindors. Lily and her stupid ideas could cost him everything.

Severus took a deep breath. Calling Lily names was obvious a short-term solution. He could get her to storm off in a huff but it didn't stop her, she'd come back. She was wrong, she was completely totally wrong. Lily was always after him to be nice. Maybe if he explained how wrong she was to her, without any name-calling…

With that thought in mind Severus hurried to pack his books, in turning his arm brushed against the back of a chair and he gasped in pain. No matter how many times he told himself not to do it, he always tried to catch himself. He'd broken his arm over a dozen times. He did it the same way every time and by now the bruises started at the bone and radiated all the way up to the skin. Severus' lip curled, everyone kept telling him how bad it was to use too many potions but their side effects weren't near as painful as leaving his injuries untended.

He gathered up his books then headed for the library. Lily jumped to her feet as soon as he walked through the door. Severus turned toward the Divinations Section. It was almost guaranteed that no one would be doing research there. Lily followed him.

"I was only trying to help," Lily said. "You're, okay you're going to get all weird on me if I call you my friend, but you are. I don't like seeing you hurt."

"My father is teaching me to duel," Severus' voice was flat.

"That doesn't mean it's okay for him to hurt you. He should be more careful."

"That's what my mom said," a hint of emotion crept back in. "My father asked me if I wanted him to quit. I don't, I want to be able to stand up to Malfoy. Look Evans, I don't really get hurt that badly but I don't want to tip Malfoy off so I heal everything."

Lily bit her lip. After a moment she said, "I'm sorry. I jumped to conclusions." She smiled. "Come on, I'm sure Chelsea has a paper for you to shred." She caught his arm intending to lead him back to the table.

Severus didn't scream when Lily's enthusiastic grip closed around his battered arm. He bit through his lip instead.

Lily froze. She carefully pushed up his sleeve and revealed a perfectly healthy looking arm. She frowned and poked at Severus' arm in confusion. He gasped. "Stop!"

Lily stared into his eyes. She kept a hold of his hand while she drew her wand. "_Finite Incantatem_," she whispered. The glamour melted away, it left behind swollen ruby, purple and black flesh that stretched from his wrist to above his elbow. "That's 'not really hurt'?" Lily asked sadly.

"It's my business," Severus said. He gritted his teeth and added. "Please?"

Lily shook her head. "I can't. Come on. Who do you want to show that to?"

Severus pulled free. "No one," he said darkly. "And don't bother telling for me again. By the time you get done I'll have healed it. I'll swear you were exaggerating, then Madam Pomfrey'll lecture me about using potions again and that'll be that."

Lily paced back and forth between the shelves. Three steps, a sharp about face, three steps back. Her lips moved silently and she scowled fiercely as she argued with herself. Severus watched her work through his ultimatum. "Okay, I don't have a choice. I won't try to make you tell, but I still think you should."

"No," Severus repeated.

Lily sighed. "So are you joining us or what?"

Severus allowed himself a slight, relieved, smile. Then headed back toward the table the study group had staked out.

* * *

Once the group broke up for the night Lily headed straight for Professor Dumbledor's office.

She stared up at the gargoyle that guarded his stairs. "I don't have the password but I really, really need to talk to the Headmaster." She said with an intense sincerity. "Please, it's really important."

For a few seconds the statue seemed to consider the girl's plea then it rotated back and the staircase rose from the floor. Lily hurried up to Professor Dumbledor's office. He was waiting behind his desk. "Miss Evans, I believe you're just in time for a late tea." The elderly wizard smiled kindly at the girl.

"Professor, you have to do something!" Lily exclaimed. Her eyes filled with tears. "I saw Severus' arm, it's bruised awfully. He says he was practicing dueling but it's not right. And he was hiding it with a spell. Ricky always wore long sleeves but I saw the bruises on his arms anyways. We were washing up after art period and I saw. He made me promise not to tell, same as Severus, and I didn't. He died and it was all my fault," Lily took a deep breath, hiccupped then started sobbing.

Dumbledor hurried around his desk to kneel beside the distraught girl.

"I don't want Severus to die too," Lily said in a watery voice. "It was my fault, I should have told."

Dumbledor gently stroked Lily's hair and let her cry herself out against his shoulder. "It was not your fault that your classmate died," he told her with absolute certainty. "You were not responsible for what transpired."

"But Severus…"

"Is a child of the Wizarding World," Dumbledor replied "Until your magic is fully matured and tamed it will react instinctually to protect you from harm. If Severus feared for his life his magic would counter the perceived danger. Aurors would be alerted by use of underage sorcery, they would investigate the causes and deal with them. You needn't worry for him."

"But his arm," Lily protested. "Severus thinks it's okay, but it's not. It's really not okay."

"Poppy will check him over," Dumbledor promised. "We will take care of Severus, you don't have to. Lily, your heart does you credit but you must trust us. There is much about this world that you've yet to learn. He is being looked after. Are you all right now?"

Lily swallowed and nodded.

"Off to bed with you then."

* * *

Two nights later Severus was waiting outside of the library when the study group finished.

"Don't wait up," Lily said with a gesture for Remus to continue on to Gryffindor Tower without her.

Remus studied the darkly glowering boy confronting them then turned to Lily to argue. Her expression was stubbornly decided. Remus sighed. He walked around the corner then stopped and leaned back against the wall to wait for Lily and to be on hand in case of an explosion.

"You lied to me," Severus accused.

"I'm sorry; I had to," Lily replied. "What did Madam Pomfrey say about your arm?"

"Nothing. I told you what I was going to do. Did you think I was going to I trust /I a Gryffindor to keep her bloody mouth shut?" Severus snarled. "Though I did expect you to let it slip rather than blatantly going behind my back to tattle to the teachers."

"I wasn't tattling!" Lily exclaimed. "I wasn't trying to get you in trouble! I was trying to protect you!"

"I don't need a **mudblood's**protection! This is my world! I don't need you butting in and acting like you're better than me, like you can go around **pitying** me!"

"Severus, I was trying to do the right thing."

"Well save your… your_charity_for someone one who wants it!" Severus' voice was nearly choked with anger.

Remus pressed himself back into the shadows as the other boy stormed past.

"Severus!" Lily shouted. "If your father's not doing anything wrong why do you have to cover for him?"

Remus watched Severus' stride faltered then he seemed to collect himself and continued on his way without gracing Lily's parting shot with an answer.

* * *

"I don't care what Lily Evans' intentions were," Snape stated harshly. "I told her to stay out of my business. It was my right, she should have restrained her Gryffindorish impulses to bull ahead regardless of her ignorance."

"Are you truly angry because of Lily's actions or is it because her intuition was more accurate than you were comfortable with?" Dumbledor asked quietly. "Despite your best efforts Lily always remained one of your staunchest defenders."

Snape frowned.

"Would it surprise you that Lily was the first person to… well demand… that we give you a chance when you chose to come back to us?"

"I never understood anything she did," Severus admitted quietly.

"For her sake, will you try to understand her son? You are still the best person to teach him Occlumency, but only if you will set aside this baseless anger against Harry… Severus, your feelings about _Harry_ are baseless. You had every right to be angry with James, but James is dead."

Snape got up to prowl around the office. "Headmaster I have done my best to protect Potter, generally from his own reckless, attention-seeking…"

"Severus," Dumbledor's tone was quietly disappointed.

"I don't need to like him to do my duty. What you are asking is above and beyond. I don't want him invading my mind. I don't want to establish any sort of congenial relationship with him. In fact these lessons you insist upon endanger my very life. I am your spy. The brat wears his heart on his sleeve and you order me to win his trust when I am supposed to be a loyal Death Eater? How long will it take for rumors of his change of heart to reach the Dark Lord's ears?"

"Perhaps I am sick of sending you to him to be abused," Albus said. "You haven't regained his confidence even after a year's efforts. I fear that Voldemort is playing with you, waiting for you to hang yourself. Perhaps I am offering you an excuse to come out of the shadows. Teach Harry; if you believe your cover is blown because of it then let it be blown. You bring more to the Order than a dark past, we will still need you even if you are no longer acting as a spy."

"As what? The Order's new glorified house-minder?" Snape snapped. Then he took a deep breath. "Albus, if you won't respect that I do not wish to form any sort of rapport with Potter's son then respect his need for someone to blame for the mutt's death. I believe I speak for all of us when I say it's better for him to hate me rather than to hate you."


	10. All Fall Down 01

**Summer Plans**

Disclaimer: Characters and setting are the property of J.K. Rowling, I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit fun.

**Katharina-B: **Thanks for the feed back.I like both Snape and the Marauders so I've been trying to come up with a scenario where they all contribute to a situation thatgradually escalates into their feud.

* * *

Severus Snape glared venomously at the man lingering in his office doorway. "Is there a reason for your presence Lupin?" he snapped barked.

Remus glanced down at something hidden in his hands. "I don't know," he said.

"Then figure it out else where."

Remus leaned back against the doorpost. His body language clearly stated that he wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. "Perhaps I'm feeling nostalgic."

"I could hex you if you truly desire a reminder of what our mutual past was like," Snape offered harshly.

"We weren't always adversaries," Remus remarked.

"You are correct. There was a time when I didn't know you," Snape replied. "Remove yourself before I remove you."

"Albus would scold us if you did. Worse yet, what if Minerva or Poppy caught us brawling?" Remus smiled to himself. "I may be feeling nostalgic but I don't wish to be scolded like an errant first year."

Remus ignored Severus' forbidding glare and walked over to the Potion Master's desk. He set a photograph on top of the paper Severus was grading. "I was going through Sirius' things."

Severus drew back from the long ago moment as if the photograph were coated with a virulent toxin.

"Do you ever think abut why our year doesn't hold reunions?" Remus asked quietly.

"I would presume it is because it traditionally falls to the Headboy and Headgirl to arrange such ordeals," Severus answered coolly. "I am certain you remember that they are both dead. They were your friends after all."

Remus pulled up a chair and sat down. "James and Lily are dead. As are Tia Chang, Gerry Abbot, Chelsea and Mara Figg and now Sirius," Remus' shoulders slumped. "We're not even forty, even muggles don't start attending reunions to count who's left until their seventies. Already sixty-eight percent of our classmates are dead. Another seven percent either are in Azkaban or would be if not for Voldemort. Abigail Longbottom and a dozen others will never leave St. Mungos. Nearly half of our remaining classmates were suspected of being in collusion with the Deatheather during the last war; who knows what they're doing now… I was in a morbid mood this morning."

Severus listened to Remus' grim accounting in shocked silence he hadn't expected the former Gryffindor to have calculated those particular statistics. Reluctantly he said, "You over-estimated the number who supported the Dark Lord. A significant fraction of those cleared by the Ministry were, in fact innocent."

Remus' expression brightened minutely for a few seconds. "But you and I are the only ones left of our generation who remember anything of Sirius apart from James and Lily's murder. Even if Peter were to confess his guilt before the whole of the Wizarding World they still wouldn't truly remember Sirius. Twelve years is so long and we held ourselves apart, the misconceptions are all they'll remember now."

Severus stared at his former classmate with a close approximation of horror on his face. I am the last person you want to reminisce with."

"Who else is there?" Remus demanded. "Who else is left who remembers anything about Sirius before Azkaban? Who else remembers James and Lily for anything besides their sacrifice?"

Severus subtly increased the distance between himself and Remus as the other man became possessed with a kind of mania.

"You remembered James playing with that silly snitch, I hadn't thought about that for years. You must remember how Lily always chewed on her quills while she was studying, it always annoyed you for some reason."

Severus froze at Remus' first statement but the werewolf continued on, oblivious.

"Even if you hate Sirius at least you hate him for his mistakes not for Peter's betrayal." Remus took a deep breath. "And there was a time when you didn't hate Padfoot… No, it was Siri back then, we hadn't come up with our Marauder names yet. We were still using Andromeda's nickname for him. You remember."

"Potter told you what he saw?" Severus realized. His sallow features paled with rage. "Who else did he tell?"

Severus' shouted demand shocked Remus back to himself. "Harry talked to Siri and I about what he saw. Severus, he needed to. Siri and I were _there_, he didn't tell us anything that we didn't already know. He was appalled by how we behaved. _Harry_ wasn't trying to humiliate you. He was asking _us_ to explain ourselves."

Severus' expression showed disbelief and that he was far from pacified.

"I wish you had been able to keep that memory from Harry," Remus stated calmly. "It would be one thing if Lily and James were here to explain how they fell in love; if Harry could _see_ that James outgrew that sort of inane cruelty. As things stand Sirius and I would have rather kept Harry from knowing ourselves."

"Sometimes I still forget that Evans was right about the Houses," Severus said. "Gryffindors attempting to be manipulative is still unexpected."

"You're just shocked that I'm good at it," Remus replied. "Besides how can the truth be manipulative?"

"The truth is the best tool for manipulation, if properly utilized. However, that assumes that there is any truth in your words at all." Severus scowled at the other man.

Remus sighed. "It would never occur to Harry to use what he saw against you. In his eyes you aren't the one who should be ashamed of that day. And he's right. I'm sorry about how we used to treat you. Harry demanded an explanation from us and there was nothing we could say except that we eventually out grew bullying people."

Severus sat back down. He picked up his quill. Then he noticed the picture again, he pushed it away and selected an essay to grade. "Are you done?" he asked.

Remus leaned forward and turned the picture back toward himself. "When you were with us, our friendship, truce, tolerance of each other… Whatever it was, it was constantly in the process of breaking," he said. "I still don't understand how it all turned so nasty."

* * *

_Summer Break – Before the Marauder's Second Year_

Severus felt a smile tugging at his mouth and forced it to go away. He wasn't supposed to enjoy the though of spending time with the idiot Gryffindor. They weren't friends, they didn't like each other and there'd been over a dozen ugly quarrels during the course of the school year. He shouldn't be looking forward to spending time with Sirius Black.

Black always chose his friends over Severus, just like Narcissa always chose Malfoy over him. Narcissa was Slytherin; ambitious and cold-bloodedly practical. Lucius Malfoy was a more advantageous alliance than he was; Severus understood that. He knew why she acted the way she did and did his best not to mind. Black was a Gryffindor they weren't supposed to think about things like that, they were loyal to the point of stupidity. The obvious conclusion was that Potter, Pettigrew and Lupin were the only ones Black considered friends. He shouldn't be happy.

Black was just using him to get away from his family. Despite the Blacks' best efforts Severus had no doubt that he and Sirius would spend the better part of the coming month with Sirius' Gryffindor friends and that they would spend most of that time pretending Severus wasn't with them. Still Black was the only one who invited him anywhere.

They'd probably end up at the Potters' for dinner on a regular basis. He liked Harold Potter. James took his parents for granted; it drove Severus crazy. That arrogant moron did whatever he liked, he broke his parents' rules all the time and he never really got punished for it. They gave James everything he wanted, they were proud of him, they loved him and each other and James never ever noticed. Severus' parents weren't speaking to each other anymore. The only reason his mother hadn't left was that he refused to go with her. He hated James Potter.

He hated Peter Pettigrew too, but Remus Lupin and Sirius were okay. They were better when the others weren't around to see them being nice to him. Narcissa was nice when Malfoy didn't know about it. His father flat out told him that he was ashamed of Severus. His mother was the only person who mattered to him at all who wasn't ashamed of him.

The urge to smile and thus make a fool of himself vanished. Severus picked up a handful of floo powder and declared, "House of Black."

"Hey." Severus accepted the offered hand and let Sirius pull him to his feet. "Ready to go? This month is going to be hell."

"A month in Wales with Narcissa's family, what's the problem?" Severus asked.

"Did you forget who your idol dates?"

"Don't call her that!"

"Alright, alright." Sirius held up his hands. "Don't go nuts on me. But Malfoy is going to show up. Bell lives there. Lestrange and his brother will visit her. Andy will run off every chance she gets and Aunty Clarissa is every bit as bad as my mother…"

"So what are we going to do and why am I going with you?" Severus asked.

Sirius made a face. "Well I just figured with my Slytherin chaperon along maybe they'll let me out of their sight once and a while."

"So you're just using me again?" Severus' tone was lightly sarcastic. "We'll make a Slytherin of you yet."

Sirius shoved Severus and drew his wand. "You take that back!"

Severus didn't hesitate or think; he attacked. Sirius threw up a quick blocking charm. He followed up with a barrage of sparkles then tackled Severus. The two boys went down in a heap. Severus took the brunt of the fall.

Sirius knocked the wand out of Severus' hand then noticed the dazed look in the other boy's eyes. Sirius glanced up and saw blood on the corner of the coffee table behind them. Sirius' heart raced. He pulled Severus up and started checking for injuries. "I'm sorry," he exclaimed.

Severus put his hand to the back of his head; it came away bloody. "Ouch," he said. The Slytherin boy dug a vile of potion out of his jacket and downed it with a grimace.

Sirius glanced away and saw the burned spot on the wall where he'd deflected Severus' hex. "Bloody hell, why'd do you gotta be such a lunatic Snape?"

"You started it."

"I wasn't the one throwing dark magic around." Sirius accused. "You always have to overreact to everything."

"You were going to attack me!"

"I… Oh forget it. I don't want to spend the whole month fighting."

"Why not? You usually hate me for at least a week every time something ticks you off. It's always my fault isn't it?" Severus complained.

"Someday you're going to learn when to shut up Sev."

"Don't call me that. And it'll probably be the day before you do."

"So we're good again?"

"Whatever."

"My mom's gonna give me hell when she sees that wall," Sirius commented.

"Your problem, not mine."

"I really don't like you. You think she'd notice if I moved that portrait?"

"I think so. You do remember that notice-me-not charm Professor Flitwick was teaching?"

"Sure, Charms is my best subject." Sirius grinned. "You know there's something wrong with you right."

"I hang around with you don't I?"

* * *

Clarissa and Polaris Black's home was a rambling country manor that had been added on to for centuries. From the front lawn it had the look of a Tudor estate, at its heart was a medieval fortress, from the back it was a simple hodgepodge of styles and building materials.

The three sisters each had their own suit of rooms in different wings to suit their personal tastes. Narcissa made her home in the Victorian East front wing. The fine-boned blonde seemed well suited by her delicately refined surroundings. Also the wing was nearest to the kennels where Narcissa kept a menagerie of pets.

Bellatrix had chosen to live in the upper levels of the central hall, the oldest section of the house. Heavy, stone walls, narrow windows and the fact that she lived directly above the old dungeons, in which the skeletons of her family's ancient enemies still resided, didn't bother Bellatrix. Her rooms were done up in lavish velvets but they couldn't completely disguise that her home had begun its life as a place of war.

Andromeda lived near the kitchens in the rear West wing. It was the most recent addition to the house and almost modern. She'd decorated in the latest muggle styles or at least a near approximation of them. An actual muggle might have been disturbed if they noticed that the electric cords on Andromeda's appliances were simply tucked behind the nearest piece of furniture rather than being plugged into an outlet but her mother had drawn the line at wiring the house for electricity.

Sirius, Severus, Regulus and a friend from Regulus' primary school were housed in the East rear wing. The guest rooms there were comfortable, but not nearly as fancy as the ones near Polaris and Clarissa's rooms in the West front wing. There were always guests at the Black Estates. Bellatrix and Narcissa had their friends, their beaus and the boy's families over on a regular basis. Clarissa entertained an endless stream of prospective suitors for the independent minded Andromeda as well as her own circle of friends. Polaris had his business associates, friends and a number of politicians over. Elaborate parties were a common occurrence. The Black family house-elves were a harried lot; they all eagerly looked forward to their rotation at the much quieter Black residence in London.

Regulus and his friend settled in immediately and started gleefully exploring the estate grounds. Severus asked about access to the library and an area to set up as a potion lab with those secured he set to dividing up his time between his studies, Sirius and Narcissa. Publicly Sirius sulked about being cut off from access to fellow Gryffindors. Privately he went over terrain maps and made flight plans for reaching the Pettigrew's place in the next township over.

On the third morning Severus looked up from his book to see Sirius leaning against the frame of his door. The blue-eyed boy was smiling brilliantly. "What are you up to?" Severus asked.

Sirius shut the door behind him. "Today's the day," he said in a hushed voice. "Aunty and Uncle are going visiting right after lunch, they expect us to be in bed before they get home which means we won't be missed until breakfast tomorrow morning."

"I hate flying, I hate your friends. Count me out," Severus replied. He was more than a little surprised that Sirius had planned to drag him along since they would both be sneaking out of the house. "I've got a potion I want to try. I've got my books. Narcissa's here. You don't have to play the dutiful host."

"And normally I'd be delighted but Malfoy's expected," Sirius replied. "Knowing him he's probably still ticked about that little stunt we pulled during the Leaving Feast. Aunty and Uncle are going to be out, remember? There aren't any professors here. Andy snuck out last night and won't be back. Bell likes to see people suffer and Cissa'll never stand up to her boyfriend. You're the one who told me that sharing a dorm with Malfoy was the reason why you learned to make every healing draught known to Wizard-kind. I'm not leaving you here with him, remember the stocks?"

Severus cocked his head to the side and examined Sirius closely for a moment. "If a Gryffindor is advocating the better part of valor how can I disagree?"

"Course I was planning on leaving a little surprise for _dear_ Lucius before we took off," Sirius added.

Severus smirked.

"It shouldn't be a problem for you to whip up a little growth accelerant right?" Sirius asked.

"What do you think half my healing salves are?" Severus replied. He rolled his eyes at Sirius' ignorance.

"But do they work on plants?" Sirius asked. He produced a Devil's Snare seedling. "Lucius' room would look much better with a touch of greenery."

"If I encapsulate the growth accelerator, I should be able to delay the effect until he's in bed." Severus remarked as he set aside his book.

"Cool."


	11. All Fall Down 02

Chapter Two – Quidditch Strategies 

An hour later the two boys were on their way. Four hours later they were still on their way. Severus flew a straight path; he kept the break in the trees that designated the muggle road in sight and was careful to stay low enough to avoid being seen. Sirius was in and out of the forest canopy. One minute he was dodging branches the next he was doing loop-de-loops in the clear blue sky above Severus.

"How much longer till we get there?" Severus yelled.

Sirius roared to new heights a moment later he dropped back to Severus' level. "I can see the river that marks the halfway point."

Severus groaned. "I've been on this broom so long my arse is going numb."

"Wimp."

"I have better things to do than live on a broom."

"Like get killed by Malfoy?"

"If we turn back now we could still see the expression on his face when the Devil's Snare grabs him," Severus tempted.

"It's Malfoy, he'll still be fit to be tied next week," Sirius replied carelessly.

Severus muttered various uncomplimentary things under his breath but kept flying.

It was well after lunch when the two boys arrived at the Pettigrews' modest home. Peter was in the yard pacing.

"Sorry, it took longer than I thought," Sirius said as they alighted.

"I was starting to think that the nutcase had killed you," Peter exclaimed with a venomous look at Snape.

"Like he could," Sirius laughed.

"I'm standing right here," Severus complained.

"Look I'm starved," Sirius said. "We didn't think to pack a lunch. Could we raid the pantry before catching up with James and Remus?"

"Help yourself," Peter said and led the two taller boys inside.

Sirius spared a moment to stick his head in the parlor and offered Peter's mother a charming smile and a cheerful hello.

"It's good you're here, I'm afraid my grass would have protested anymore pacing," Mrs. Pettigrew replied. "I still don't understand why you didn't just floo in; it's such a long flight."

"I just got a new broom. Second years are allowed you know. I had to try it out," Sirius explained glibly.

"Boys and their toys," Mrs. Pettigrew laughed. "Still I would never let Peter go that far by broom."

Sirius made a sad face. "I think my family was glad to be shut of me for so long."

Mrs. Pettigrew patted Sirius on the shoulder apologetically. "I'm certain you and your friend are hungry after all that exercise. I won't keep you."

Sirius thanked her then the three boys hurried on to the kitchen.

"There's a roast in the cold box, you can make sandwiches real quick," Peter offered. "We don't want to waste the whole day. I bet James and Remus are having loads of fun without us."

"Naw, who could have fun without me?" Sirius laughed. He dug through the cold box and tossed a variety of fixings to Severus while Peter produced a loaf of bread and silverware.

It only took the boys ten minutes to scarf down their meal. Then they trooped into the living room and flooed over to the Potters' with their brooms.

James and Remus were playing Wizard's Chess when the threesome tumbled gracelessly out of the fireplace.

"We're going to have to figure out a quicker way to sneak you past your parents," James said to Sirius.

"The fireplace is warded, I can't floo without permission," Sirius replied there was a touch of frustration in his voice.

"It's too bad they won't teach us to apparate yet," Peter remarked.

"What you need is a portkey," James stated authoritatively.

Sirius turned puppy-dog eyes on Remus. "Remy, my bestest, bestest friend ever, Remy. You know how to make a portkey right? All that reading you do…"

"No," Remus sighed.

"Please, pretty, pretty please. I know you could figure it out."

"I'm not going to risk sending you to the middle of the North Sea or merging you with the key or any of the other hundred things that could go wrong with an inexpertly made portkey," Remus stated firmly.

"You're serious huh?" Sirius sighed. "I guess I'll just have to leave really early next time."

"Or don't go back," James said.

"Oh no, we are definitely going back before your family tells my father I ran away," Severus protested.

"I left Malfoy with a Devil's Snare under his bed," Sirius said. "I gotta see how it turns out."

"Okay, okay," James laughed. "You've gotta go back, this time anyway. We wasted enough time; lets play Quidditch. We've got five people so here are the rules: All against all, one Keeper and two Beaters on defense, two Chasers on offense; we rotate every five minutes. If anyone sees the Snitch they go for it."

"Got it," Sirius exclaimed.

"I've been on a broom for hours," Severus complained.

"Let's go," Peter grinned.

"I can't," Remus said softly.

"Awe come on Remus, you used to practice with us," James wheedled.

"You're almost as good as I am," Sirius added.

"I don't want to play," Severus stated.

"Come on Remus, don't be a wet rag," Peter complained.

"I can't."

"This is about Mr. Hilbury isn't it," Sirius said. "You played until he had that I talk /I with you."

"It's about me being sick," Remus replied.

"So if you start feeling bad we'll quite," James decided.

"No!" Remus exclaimed. "Mr. Hilbury said I might give it to you."

"Mr. Hilbury? Not Madam Pomfrey?" Sirius clarified.

"She never said I couldn't play," Remus admitted. "Still, I'm not going to risk it."

"Madam Pomfrey okayed it but you're not playing because of Hilbury?" James demanded.

"I…"

"Live a little Remy, I'm willing to bet Madam Pomfrey knows more about healing than the flying coach," Sirius said.

"I'm not worried," James said.

"Hey you guys know me. I'm up for anything if you guys are," Peter chimed in.

"I don't want to play, I never did," Severus interjected.

"Snape!" the other three yelled accusingly.

"What? I don't wanna…"

Sirius glared at the Slytherin boy angrily.

"Fine," Severus sighed.

"Looks like I'm in too," Remus said. He slapped Severus on the shoulder. "When it's Quidditch it's hopeless to argue with them."

The Slytherin boy flinched then caught himself.

"So what are we using for a goal?" Peter asked.

"I've got a hoop nailed up in a tree out back. I'll point it out for you. I'm taking Chaser first," James said.

"Me too! I'm with James!" Peter exclaimed. He jogged after James as he headed outside.

"I've got Beater," Sirius said. "I can charm a timer to let us know when to rotate. Chaser to Beater to Keeper to Chaser to Beater?"

"Sure."

"Any preference?" Remus asked Severus.

"I'll Keep. How long are they going to make us do this?"

"Until James' mom calls us in for dinner," Remus replied.

"And Black is happy about it?" Severus groaned.

"It's Quidditch." Remus shrugged. They mounted their brooms and joined the other boys in the sky.

James pointed out the goal and indicated the side of the house. "Chasers have to bank the Quaffle off the house before going for the goal." He landed briefly, let the other boys get into position then released the Bludgers and the Snitch. James took off with the Quaffle. He bounced it off the house to Peter.

Remus and Sirius took off after the Bludgers. Peter few for the goal and tried to score. Severus caught the Quaffle and tossed it back.

Peter flew back to the house and bounced the Quaffle to James. Sirius swatted a Bludger at this friend. James rolled and passed the Quaffle to Peter.

Remus had lined himself up opposite of Sirius. He quickly redirected the Bludger James had dodged toward Peter. Peter took a hit, rolled with the impact and dropped the Quaffle. James flew beneath Peter and caught the Quaffle as it fell. Sirius went after the second Bludger. Remus intercepted the other Bludger as it rebounded off of Peter and hit it at James. James grinned and tucked the Quaffle against his side as he leaned over his broom. The Bludger chased after the bespectacled Gryffindor. James flew straight at Severus. The lone Slytherin held his ground between James and the goal. When a crash seemed unavoidable James dove and left Severus face to face with the Bludger. Severus jerked his broom desperately to the side; the Bludger grazed his elbow as it shot past him. While Severus fought to stay aloft James pulled out of his dive and tossed the Quaffle through the hoop.

James sped after the Quaffle and scooped it up inches from the ground. "Clock's still running," he called as he flew back to the house and bounced the Quaffle off the wall and back to himself.

Sirius gave up on the second Bludger and joined Remus in keeping the first where it would do the most good. The two boys batted the Bludger back and forth in front of the goal turning it into an added line of defense as James made his second run. James eyed them suspiciously but the clock was down to thirty seconds. When James set himself to throw Sirius finally directed the Bludger at him. It struck James' upraised arm. James rolled with the blow but lost the Quaffle. Peter tried to scoop it off the grass only to flinch away when Remus used the Bludger to defend it.

James dove and rolled to avoid Sirius' Bludger. He grabbed the Quaffle off the grass and while still upside down he threw the Quaffle at the goal. The buzzer rang.

Severus caught the Quaffle and held it. "What now?" he asked.

"Keep it; you're Chasing," Sirius instructed. "Remus Keep, I'll Chase. James catch!"

James smirked and plucked the Beater's bat out of the air. "I'm ahead and no sign of the Snitch," he said.

Peter flew to the goal to collect Remus' bat and Sirius reset his timing charm then he flew after Severus. "Snape, if we want to score we're going to have to work together," he hissed when he caught up with the other boy.

"I get the first shot at a goal," Severus bargained.

"Deal, then we trade off."

Severus rebounded the Quaffle to Sirius then took off for the goal. He scanned the skies for the Snitch while he waited for Sirius to pass him the Quaffle. Sirius wove between James' Bludger strikes. Occasionally he flew at Peter in an attempt to startle the sandy-haired Gryffindor out of position. Peter grimly held his ground and kept returning the Bludger to James. Sirius soared into the sky as he tossed the Quaffle to Severus. The almost forgotten Slytherin boy tried to angle the Quaffle behind Remus. The golden-eyed boy stretched for it; the Quaffle grazed his fingertips and went through the hoop.

"Darn it all, it would have missed if I hadn't touched it," Remus exclaimed.

"The score's still good Lupin," Severus protested.

Sirius blasted past the goal to retrieve the Quaffle. "We're still on the clock," he yelled. He tossed the Quaffle to Severus then dive-bombed Peter. The Bludger went wild and James cursed as he turned to chase after it. Severus bounced the Quaffle back to himself then passed it to Sirius. Sirius flew straight at Remus then rolled and put the Quaffle through the goal as he shot past the startled Keeper.

Severus caught the Quaffle before it could hit the ground and flew back toward the house. He rebounded it to put it in play then waited for Sirius to deliver it back to him.

This time Remus had them figured out. He kept his eye on Severus and stopped the Slytherin's attempt to score. The buzzer rang as Remus returned the Quaffle to Sirius.

The next rotation saw Sirius and Severus as Beaters while Peter took the Keeper's spot leaving James and Remus on offence. With Remus' help James scored twice on Peter before Severus and Sirius started passing the Bludger back and forth to keep it on hand until using it to knock the Quaffle away from the goal before it could get past Peter.

The scores crept upward. While Sirius was Keeping against Peter and Severus he spotted the Snitch and took off after it. The other three Gryffindors flew after him. Severus quietly scored on the untended goal then retrieved the Quaffle and scored four more times before the rotation ended and the Snitch was lost again.

Dinnertime arrived before the Snitch was caught. After a quick conference the boys beat the Bludgers into submission, packed up the Quaffle and finished off their game with an all out Snitch-hunt.

James spotted the illusive golden ball hiding in the trees. He landed, covered in scratches from close encounters with the foliage but triumphant.

"I bet you purposely get your glasses a little farsighted," Peter accused jokingly.

"Naw, I've just got a lot of practice in looking for things I can't see," James replied. "Who got second?"

Remus pointed to Severus. "And only by seventy points too," he said.

"How the bloody hell did you manage that?" Sirius exclaimed.

Severus smirked. "You leave the goal undefended… frequently."

Peter scowled. "How many other ways did you cheat?"

"It's not my fault everyone else has a glory-fixation," Severus said in a smug, superior tone.

"Cool it Pete," James said quietly. "What'd ya expect, he plays like a Slytherin; the letter of the rules but not the spirit."

Severus opened his mouth to defend himself and got an elbow in the ribs from Sirius. "Like I care what you think of me," he muttered instead.

"Boys! Dinner's on the table!" Mrs. Potter called.


	12. All Fall Down 03

**Night of Fears**

Disclaimer: Characters and setting are the property of J.K. Rowling, I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit fun.

**Silverthreads:** Thanks for the feedback

* * *

Physical exertion gave all five boys a healthy appetite. For the first fifteen minutes conversation took a backseat to food. Gradually the boys slowed down enough to slip a few words between bites.

"This is great Mrs. Potter," Remus said.

"I'll pass your compliments on to the House-elves," Eleanor replied.

Remus blushed. "Oh, right."

"Did you see that goal of James'?" Peter gushed to Sirius.

Sirius rolled his eyes and turned back to James. "I swear, on one of those new Nimbus you can flat out run Bludgers. It'll change the whole game."

"Naw, they'll just beef-up the spells on the Bludgers," James replied.

At the other end of the table another conversation was taking place.

"Is it true that the ministry is going to make a law about werewolves having to take a calming draught during the full moon?" Remus asked Harold Potter

"I didn't think calming draughts worked on werewolves," Severus remarked.

"They don't," the Chief Auror said.

"So why would the Ministry requiring them to take the potions?"

"It's a sugar pill for the politicians," Harold replied. Severus frowned in confusion.

"A placebo," Remus explained. "It's a muggle expression."

"That's stupid," Severus said. "I'm always getting yelled at when people don't think I have a good enough reason for taking potions."

Harold sighed. "It makes people feel safer."

"People are stupid," Severus stated judgmentally. "Big magic, like turning into a werewolf, deactivates the magic in most potions."

"There have been a number of incidents with werewolves lately. The attack on the Nutrimen's child three months ago, Mira and Preston…" Harold trailed off with a guilty look at Remus.

"My grandparents were babysitting me when it happened," Remus volunteered quickly. "When they brought me home… They were just… I don't really remember that morning."

Eleanor wrapped a comforting arm around Remus' shoulders. James patted him on the hand.

"People are scared Severus, the law may not make sense but it makes people feel better," Harold said. "We've already taken measure to see that all known werewolves are under guard by my people during the full moon so no one gets hurt, but it's not enough to reassure everyone. So the ministry proposed this new law to head off the possibility of lynch mobs."

"But calming draughts don't work on werewolves," Severus argued. "They ought to come up with something that works, not give out these 'sugar pills'."

"It's not logical but it's better than having people demanding we destroy them," Harold said.

"Kill them," Remus said quietly.

"What?" Eleanor asked.

Remus bit his lip. "Rabid animals get destroyed, people get killed. Werewolves are still people."

"That's very enlightened considering what happened to your parents," Harold said with surprise.

"The person can't control what the werewolf does, it's a monster that possesses them," Remus recited. "I can't hate the person for what the wolf does."

"But the person has a responsibility to take precautions against what the wolf is capable of," Harold said.

"Yes sir, always sir," Remus replied instantly.

"This is getting positively grim," Mrs. Potter remarked. "Peter, I heard your older sister and the Boot boy finally set a date."

Peter rolled his eyes. "Yeah, there's gauze and lacey stuff all over the upstairs and Melissa screams bloody murder if I touch anything."

"Will you be in the wedding?" Eleanor asked.

"Like I'd want to!" Peter exclaimed. "Jordan's got this little six-year-old twerp of a cousin and Melissa says 'he's such a cutey!'" Peter mimicked high-pitched, girlish tones. "He's going to be the ring barer. It's not like they even need me there."

"Peter, I'm sure your sister couldn't be happy without her whole family behind her," Eleanor told the boy.

"Boring," James sing-songed. "Everyone's going to the World Cup Quidditch match of course, even if we have to kidnap Sirius. We should make plans…"

* * *

That night the boys camped out in the Potter's front room. There were plenty of empty guest rooms as Severus had noted but the other four boys had looked at him funny when he said that. In the end Severus had grabbed a pile of blankets and pillows then tried to construct a comfortable nest like everyone else.

The elder Potters retired to their room for the evening and the House-elves put out the wall torches and let the fires die down to embers. There was an air of anticipation about the four Gryffindors that mystified Severus.

"Alright it's dark enough," Remus said. "Sirius, you want to start things off?"

Sirius got up and went to sit on the hearth. Wrapped in a blanket and silhouetted by the sullen glow of the embers he was a vaguely sinister shadow.

"We all know the wards at Hogwarts keep the ghost harmless and most the ghosts wouldn't want to do anything worse than Binns trying to bore us to death. Most of the ghosts, but not all…" Sirius trailed off leaving a theatrical silence behind.

"Several hundred years ago they needed a substitute Professor for a term, a guest lecture came to Hogwarts to fill the position… and he never left." Sirius made eye contact with each member of his audience as he allowed that point to sink in. "He was a real bastard of a teacher, always looking for a way to humiliate his students."

"Well one group of students had enough, they decided to get even. They hexed him to loose his voice in the middle of a lecture. No big thing right? But he was livid; he went after them with murder in his eyes and a sword in his hand. The students fled. He chased them into the Forbidden Forest and they were ALL torn to pieces."

"But he still wasn't satisfied," Sirius shook his head in disbelief. "Not realizing he was dead he came back to the to the school looking for more students to blame his embarrassment. He still haunts the halls looking for victims. We know him as the Bloody Baron," Sirius finished.

"That's preposterous," Severus said. "Don't you pay any attention in history?"

"I believe we already established that Mr. Black has yet to out grow naps and has taken to substituting said activity for History," Remus fought to deliver his remarks without dissolving into laughter.

Sirius threw a pillow at his friend. "Mr. Lupin rarely pays attention and manages to stay awake solely for the pleasure he derives from disturbing said naps."

"So Snape, I suppose you're claiming to know the real story behind Hogwarts' Bloody Baron?" James challenged.

"Yes I do," Severus replied archly. "During the French Revolution he staked his fortune on a drinking contest."

"The Baron was proud of his ability to drink anyone under the table but being a Slytherin he also had a fall back plan; a sword coated with a detoxification agent. What the Baron failed to realize was that they young man who took his challenge was also Slytherin. The younger Slytherin seduced the serving wench the night before the contest and nothing in his mug was stronger than Butterbeer. The Baron had more pride than was healthy and didn't turn to his plan B until he was well and truly soused. He got up, staggered over to the nearest weapons rack and promptly pulled the thing over on himself. He was pierced thirteen times by the falling weaponry and died on the spot. The younger man was a French Aristocrat who'd lost his fortune when he fled that country. He soon forsook the serving girl, who murdered him in his sleep a few years later, but not before he could found the family line responsible for inflicting Lucius Malfoy on us. The Baron, unable to accept his defeat much less his death, became a ghost. To this day he refuses to speak of the humiliating, Gryffindor moment, that led him to try to win the contest by fair means."

The conclusion of Severus' story was met with groans and a hail of pillows.

"If he'd been Gryffindor he wouldn't have needed to cheat to win," Peter declared.

"Because you're all immune to alcohol?" Severus sneered. "I'll be sure to mention that one to Madam Rosmerta the next time Hagrid decides to serenade the Three Broomsticks."

James assumed a superior look. "No, because the serving girl would have liked him better than the other guy." This time the hail of pillow was aimed at James.

After they'd settled down a bit James took Sirius' place in front of the dying fire. "Now that's all nice and good, but there are vicious haunts much closer than Hogwarts. You know my Dad's an Auror and of course he really tries not to take his work home with him, but sometimes accidents happen. There was this one wicked spirit who liked to possess mirrors. They trapped her in a room with nothing for her to jump to and then they destroyed her mirror. They thought she'd been vanquished but they forgot that my dad's spectacles could hold a reflection in them.

"As soon as he got home that night she jumped into the mirror in the background of my Great-Great-Grandmother's portrait. Now you gotta understand, Granny is real fond of that portrait, says it's the only one that ever captured her properly and she won't have it destroyed so Dad was stuck with the spirit. Quite frankly Granny's scarier than the spirit so it generally behaves itself but sometimes, when Granny's sleeping, the spirit sneaks out of the portrait and into the house mirrors and if she ever catches you looking at her she'll drag you into the mirror with her so she can torture you as long as she likes."

"James, that story got o…" a quick kick from Peter silenced Remus.

Remus looked at Peter questioningly. The smallish Gryffindor tilted his head toward Severus. Remus grimaced but held his peace. "Okay, my turn…"

* * *

"Guys this might be a bad idea," Remus whispered. "You all know how _jumpy_ Severus is."

"I've got his wand," Sirius replied confidently. "We'll let him wake up and cool off before we give it back. James played this joke on all of us, what's the big deal?"

Remus sighed and dropped his gaze in surrender.

"Okay, I got the mirror," Peter said and was quickly hushed.

"Alright," James said, his eyes were alight with mischief. "Peter, hold the mirror. Sirius, handle the special effects. I'll take care of waking up our Mr. Snape."

Remus settled back and waited for the fireworks to start. The other three boys got into position.

James murmured a spell and Severus' sleeping body levitated and spun in midair. Severus woke with a shriek and a pulse of wild magic that broke James' spell and his glasses.

Severus crashed to the floor and quickly scrambled to his knees as he searched for his wand. "They're here. They're here. He said they weren't real. They're here!" Severus' panicky literary sent shivers down the other boys' spines. His eyes lit on the open door then went wide and white rimmed. "It's open. Who un-barricaded the door? I need my wand, they're here!"

"Severus, wake up. It was just a joke." Remus caught the Slytherin boy's shoulder and was tossed aside. Severus possessed a wiry strength that the other boy hadn't anticipated. Remus' head cracked against the edge of the hearth and he slumped to the floor in a daze. The loose objects in the room began to vibrate.

James swore and grabbed Severus. He shook the other boy roughly. "Snap out of it!" he ordered.

A glass vase burst and Severus struggled violently against James. Sirius joined in and between the two of them they managed to pin the Slytherin boy against the wall. Tears were running down Severus' face. "Come on Sev! Wake up, you've got to wake up." Sirius pled.

"He's blood crazy!" Peter exclaimed from across the room. Severus' eyes locked on the slight Gryffindor and a bloody gash opened up on Peter's cheek.

James thrust his palm under Severus' chin and pushed his head back, forcing Severus' eyes to the ceiling. The Slytherin boy screamed and every bit of glass in the room exploded in a hail of shrapnel.

Then the three boys were forced apart from a sharply cast spell. Harold Potter stood in the doorway looking every inch an experienced Auror despite his dressing gown. His second spell suppressed the magic running wild in the room.

To Severus it felt like being wrapped in miles of cotton candy. He couldn't move, his magic was stifled but he felt insulated from the world as well.

"Ella, look after the boys. I'll deal with Severus and put a call in to the office," Harold said. "They don't need to dispatch anyone."

Severus felt the cotton candy tug him gently toward the door. Moving like a sleepwalker he stumbled to Harold's side then allowed the older man to guide him down the hall to a richly appointed study. Harold settled the boy in a leather chair that almost swallowed his childish form.

Harold opened a drawer in the heavy desk to reveal a neatly organized potion's rack. He selected a vile and handed it to Severus.

The familiarity of the action shook the boy out of the spell-induced stupor enough to ask. "What is it?"

"A calming draught. It might be one of your father's; it's been awhile since I needed to restock my home supplies. Too much time spent behind a desk these days, I suppose." Harold kept talking until Severus took the potion.

"What did you do to me?" Severus asked after a moment.

"The spell? It's used for crowd control, a very weak cousin to the Imperius. It only works as long as the target is panicking. If they can get themselves under control it fades," Harold paused for a moment. "You were starting to throw it off when you asked me about the potion. Now I want to talk to you for a bit, but I'd rather not have the night patrol summoned out here."

Severus nodded then watched Harold conduct a short conversation with his subordinate over the floo system. When he was done the older man pulled up a second chair across from Severus.

The boy scowled. "That wasn't just a calming draught," he accused.

"You do know your potions," Harold admitted. "It's standard procedure. The under-aged restriction on magic is the most frequently broken law on the books. Aurors don't go rushing off for every teenager who decides to play a prank or take a short cut in their chores but we do investigate incidents of powerful magic, it's primarily for the child's benefit, the impetus for that kind of magic is generally not something a kid ought to be dealing with on their own."

"At home I practice dueling all the time and you guys never showed up." Severus' eyes widened. "It's making me talk!"

"Not really, it's not veritaserum." Harold gave Severus a sheepish smile. "Think of it as having the filter between your thoughts and your mouth loosened a little. I need to find out what happened."

"Why don't you ask them!" Severus exclaimed.

"Knowing my son, I feel very confident in saying that they were playing a prank on you," Harold admitted. "But you reacted like your life was being threatened. Don't you think you went a little overboard?"

Severus looked at the floor.

"What did you think was happening?"

"_They_ were coming for me and the door wasn't barricaded. _They_ could get to me. Bogarts can't apparate, right?"

"Who could get you, Severus?" Harold asked quietly.

"I – I don't know. Them… maybe the Bogarts in the attic?"

"You lock your door when you sleep?"

Severus nodded. "I put a chair under the doorknob, that way nothing can get in… except my father, he apparated. But he said my room was safe. I still like having the chair. I hate sleeping at Hogwarts. It's weird that I fell asleep here, probably all the flying."

"How about when you were staying with Sirius?"

"Well Narcissa's house might have Bogarts too, I don't know that it doesn't."

"Did you always do that?"

"No, the Bogarts only moved in a couple of years ago." Severus rolled his eyes. "The house feels bad. I don't like it. My parents fight all the time. They don't like each other anymore. It's because of the Bogarts."

"I'm sorry."

* * *

For several minutes after Harold took Severus away a shocked silence reigned in the front room.

Eleanor helped Remus to a couch then checked Peter's cheek. "I think you'll need a bandage," she said. "Come along to the bathroom.

The other three boys trailed after James' mother and Peter. Eleanor sat Peter on the edge of the bathtub, she dabbed carefully at the freely bleeding wound.

"I'll go get a coagulation potion," James volunteered.

"It's not that bad sweetie. We'll just use a bandage," Eleanor said. "I don't want to disturb your father."

"He tried to kill me," Peter stammered.

"Peter, you know how accidental magic works," Eleanor sighed. "Severus wasn't consciously doing anything. Who's next?"

"We were just playing around," Sirius said. He sounded stunned.

"And things just got carried away; I know. It's happened before, remember Peter's broken leg?"

"Mom!" James protested. "It wasn't like that. I played practically the same trick on Remus and Sirius, they didn't go crazy."

Eleanor rubbed her eyes. "We'll talk about it tomorrow," she said. "For now why don't the four of you get some sleep? No more camping out tonight. I'll have the House-elves make up guest rooms. James, you know where your bed is… I expect you to stay there until breakfast."

Once she'd seen the four boys to separate rooms Eleanor called for tea to be sent up to the drawing room opposite her husband's study.

After a time Harold joined her. "How is Severus?" Eleanor asked.

"I heard him blocking the door after I sent him to bed, apparently it's habitual," Harold sighed.

"Something has happened to him then?"

"I don't know. He has a few of the signs of having been obliviated but it could just be an active imagination coupled with stress, it seems his parents are having martial problems. I'm going to talk to Artalocus about this. That boy's always strung like a piano wire, tonight other kids played into one of his nightmares and he snapped. Speaking of the other kids…"

"More rattled than hurt," Eleanor said. "Peter's on the verge of screaming bloody murder. So I sent them to separate rooms, hopefully they'll calm down and be thinking rationally by morning."

"Good, I'd hate to see them work themselves into a hysteria over this. The last thing that kid needs is for his friends to become another source of stress."

"They're good kids, they won't hold it against him. I'm sure Peter was just scared; you know how head wounds bleed," Eleanor said.

* * *

First thing the next morning the children flooed back to the Pettigrews then Sirius and Severus started the long flight back to the Black Estates.

The three remaining boys sprawled under the trees behind Peter's house. "It's not like it's the first time he's gone nuts and tried to kill one of us. It's not even the third or fourth time," Peter said.

"There's something wrong with him," James said.

"Yeah, he's crazy," Peter stated, "and dangerous." He rubbed the fading cut on his cheek. "We hardly ever recognize the spells Snape uses when he goes nuts and he goes for blood."

"I know."

"He's gonna hurt someone worse."

"I know."

"It was an accident. We didn't have to play that stupid trick on him," Remus said.

"We were being normal," James protested.

"Right, why should we have to change because he's a freak?" Peter chimed in. "I told you guys we shouldn't let someone like him hang around with us. He's Slytherin, he's dark."

Remus winced.

James thought about it for a while. "I think Peter's right," he said slowly.

Remus' protest was soft and inarticulate.

"I thought Snape would make things with Sirius' family easier on him," James said defensively. "But Sirius still gets in trouble for doing stuff with us all the time. Heck Snape's probably reporting back to the hag."

"Sirius does manage to meet up with us most of the time," Remus said. "And Severus is generally in tow, I really don't think what happened last night was intentional or controllable. I don't think we should penalize him for panicking."

"It's not just last night okay?" James exclaimed. "Snape blows up over nothing all the time, he hexes before he thinks and his first impulse isn't a binding spell or a jinx, it's nasty dark stuff. Who else do you know that studies blasting curses and junk like that in their spare time?"

"How's Sirius supposed to tell his parents that Snape can't come along anymore?" Remus asked.

James winced. "Yeah, didn't think of that."

"What if Snape didn't want to come along anymore?" Peter remarked gleefully. "The hag couldn't blame Sirius if the slimy Slytherin decided to go hide in the dungeons."

* * *

"This time I'm going to do it; I'm going to kill those little twits!" Lucius exclaimed as he stocked downstairs.

Narcissa grimaced and Bellatrix grinned at Lucius' declaration.

"What did the nasty little boys do this time?" Bellatrix asked.

Lucius glared at her angrily. Bell arranged her mouth in a sympathetic moue. He relaxed. "Your parent are going to have to refurbish the guest room, they stuck Devil's Snare under my bed. If I'd been sleeping they could have killed me!"

Bellatrix laughed. "It's such a waste to kill someone by accident."

"Lucius don't be hasty," Narcissa sighed. "Siri could have done that on his own, he just doesn't know when to quit. Severus tries to warn you about Siri's silly stunts." She patted Lucius' arm.

"He doesn't try hard enough," Lucius said. "And that's assuming that the paranoid little sociopath did try to warn me. I'm still going to skin the both of them alive."

"Oh let 'Cissa have her little stray, you know how she can't help but collect them," Bellatrix said dismissively.

Lucius grimaced at the reference to his girlfriend's menagerie. Without thinking about it Narcissa's fingers strayed to the raw claw marks adorning Lucius' forearm.

Bellatrix smirked. "Narcissa's pets might not be pretty to look at but once she wins them over they're viciously loyal aren't they?"

Regulus and his friend stumbled into the kitchen. "What's for breakfast?" Reg yawned.

"We got the House-Elves to make scones," Narcissa said.

Regulus rubbed his eyes and glanced around the table. "Siri and Sev aren't down yet," he said then grinned. "You know what that means." He turned and ran back up stairs.

"What's that about?" Lucius asked.

Bellatrix rolled her eyes. "He's just doing his duty as a younger sibling, he's probably going to dump a bucket of water on Siri or something. Reg isn't exactly creative."

Several minutes later Regulus trudged back downstairs. "They're both gone already, I even banged on Sev's door."

"Well they had better get back soon," Narcissa said with a frown. "Mother and Father will be down for breakfast any minute now. I hope Siri isn't getting them into trouble again."

* * *

"Sev-er-us, come on. I said I'm sorry. Don't sulk," Sirius cajoled.

Severus angled his broom toward a tree. That forced Sirius to dodge away from his side or go splat.

"It's a stupid trick, James does it to everyone the first time they stay over. James and Peter got me; I helped them get Remus. He probably did it to Peter too, but they've know each other forever," Sirius continued as he flew around to Severus' other side. "We didn't know you were going to get _that_ freaked out."

"I hate your friends!" Severus exclaimed. "They're stupid, spoiled brats."

"They were acting friendly, not that you'd know anything about that!" Sirius snapped.

"Attacking someone in their sleep is friendly? I'd hate to see what you do to an enemy," Severus snarled.

"It was just a joke," Sirius took a deep breath. "We really didn't mean for you to get hurt. Really, honestly, truly on my word as a Gryffindor."

Severus snorted. He turned to tell Sirius exactly how much he thought _that_ was worth and watched in shock as an invisible force snatched Sirius out of the sky.

The Slytherin boy dove through the canopy. He didn't care about the branches lashing his face and arms, he just wanted out of their attacker's crosshairs. Severus landed badly; half the bristles on his broom were broken. He knew it wouldn't fly again without repairs.

Miles from sanctuary and under attack from an unknown enemy and his broom was busted. Severus cursed Sirius under his breath. "Stupid, pea-brained, idiotic Gryffindor! This is all your fault."

Without really thinking about it Severus started walking toward where he'd seen Sirius yanked to the earth. Ten minutes later he stumbled upon his bound and unconscious friend.

"Came back for this one did you?" a deranged voice cackled.

Severus spun around, his wand ready. There was nothing but foliage for him to fight.

"Must be the Gryffindor one."

Severus voiced an outraged protest. Something struck him in the back of the head. Severus fell to his hands and knees, his wand was still clenched tightly in his hand; his vision was filled with stars. He heard booted feet crunching through the leaves then a brutal kick knocked him on his back. Severus' breath left his body in a whoosh.

The boot came down on Severus' wrist. "Can't be havin' you doing magic," the man said. He leaned down and put his full weight on Severus' pinned wrist. The small, delicate bones ground together and Severus screamed. The man plucked his wand from his limp fingers.

Severus whimpered, his vision tunneled in and everything went black.


	13. All Fall Down 04

**Kidnapped **

**Disclaimer:** Characters and setting are the property of J.K. Rowling, I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit fun.

**Silverthreads, duj, wsox2004, Virage:** Thanks for the feedback.

**Elladora D. Jobberknoll: **Thanks for reviewing. It's a fine line picking a name that's not too normal or too strange. It's much easier naming characters who were born Blacks, I can just pull up a star chartfor them.

* * *

Sirius moaned, he reached up to rub his eyes and felt something hard and smooth wrapped tightly around his wrist. He squinted at it in confusion then he realized what the stuffed up feeling in his head meant and a cold ball of fear formed in his stomach.

For years black humor had dubbed suppression bracelets 'a kidnapper's best friend.' The plain, dull gray band fastened around Sirius' wrist blocked his magic, both conscious and accidental; without such things Wizarding children were practically impossible to kidnap, given sufficient incentive they simply apparated to a place safety. Without blocking the child's magic they would generally appeared in their beds or some other place they thought of as safe as soon as they became frightened.

Sirius took a moment to gather himself then glanced around his prison. It looked like someone's storage shed. Severus lay sprawled near the door there was another suppression bracelet was fastened around his wrist. Sirius crawled over to Severus. The first thing he noticed was that there was something wrong with Severus' arm. His wand arm was swollen so badly that the suppression bracelet barely fit around the severely discolored limb.

Sirius sat down beside Severus and put a hand on the unconscious boy's shoulder. He patted it absent-mindedly. "Don't worry, everything'll work out all right." Sirius tried to make his voice sound confident. Practice, he told himself, for when the other boy woke up. Severus wasn't Gryffindor; he'd be scared… Sirius reminded himself that he was good at being brave.

* * *

Clarissa Black stared at the two empty places at the dinner table. "Chessa, how many meals have Sirius and Severus missed?" she asked a cringing House-elf.

The little creature wrung its hands in distress. "Chessa is a bad, bad elf. She no has given food to young masters since dinner night before last. Bad, bad Chessa."

"Yes, yes, go punish yourself. I have more important things to do," Clarissa said with an air of distraction. "They might have been gone for two days. I'm going to skin that boy alive when I get my hands on him. Bellatrix, who are those Gryffindors Sirius is always running around with?"

"Potter, Pettigrew and Lupin," Bellatrix replied promptly. Her eyes gleamed in anticipation of seeing her cousin punished.

Clarissa marched over to the fireplace and tossed a handful of floo powder in. "Potter residence," she stated and leaned into the fire.

"Creature, go summon your master, immediately," Clarissa ordered. After a few moments' pause she said, "Auror Potter, has my nephew run off to your place again? … They couldn't possibly have flooed back here this morning our fireplace is warded against any unauthorized use by the children. We do not allow our offspring to run wild with their friends whenever they please…"

Clarissa abruptly terminated the conversation. "The honor-system, what a ridiculous notion," she muttered as she scooped up a second handful of floo powder.

"Pettigrew residence," Clarissa declared. "Boy, go get your parents and my nephew… Sirius Black. …When did he leave? …Where do you live? …Get your parents boy and be quick about it! ….Mrs. Pettigrew, my nephew and his friend never made it home. If you'll start a fly over of their route from your end we'll do the same. …I most certainly did not give them permission to attempt such a fool thing. …We'll contact the Aurors and Snapes if we don't find them after a quick check of the route between our houses."

Polaris quietly sent his daughters and Lucius to collect their brooms. Then he summoned a House-elf and ordered her to keep the two younger boys inside and under close watch.

"Narcissa, Lucius, you'll be flying with me," Polaris said. "Andromeda, Bellatrix stay with your mother. I want your eyes, but you aren't much older than the boys. You're not to be out of sight, ever. I'll fly as the crow would. Clarissa, follow the muggle road they might have used it as a reference."

* * *

Severus woke to a throbbing pain radiating up from his wrist. He wondered why one of his parents wasn't fixing it. No matter how disgusted with him his father got he had never left him in this kind of pain, never.

"Please, at least tell me why?" Black's voice intruded on the other boy's misery.

The last Severus remembered he had been utterly furious with Black for his moronic friends and their incredibly idiotic prank at his expense. What's more he hated them all for putting him in a position of being forced to confide his family's problems to Harold Potter. His father was never going to forgive him! Still he felt inexplicably relieved to hear Sirius' voice.

"The little Black wants to know why does he?" the cackling, high-pitched voice spoke directly to Severus' nightmares. Then memories of his capture and Sirius' body sprawled limply in the dirt slowly rose to the surface of Severus' mind.

"Yes, I want to know why you kidnapped us." It sounded like Sirius was awake and in fine Gryffindor form.

"They took my magic little Black. Might as well have taken my soul; no that would have been kinder, it wouldn't have left me knowing. 'Just a small favor Curse-breaker. A trifling matter, really. An inheritance from a rather foul tempered relation, you wouldn't mind examining the chest for us Curse-breaker? Just like the old man to leave a nasty surprise. Nothing for a curse-breaker of your abilities I'm certain.' Evil it was! Pure evil. Cantankerous relative, pah! It took my magic, left me a worthless squib!"

"I'm sorry you lost your magic," Sirius said and Severus groaned. He recognized the other boy's tone. "But that doesn't give you the right to go around kidnapping people!"

"It was Orion Black what did it to me!" the former curse-breaker howled. "I'll make him pay for what he's done." Severus flinched at the man's gleeful cackling. "You'll make him pay. You'll make him suffer like I suffered, yes you will."

* * *

Harold Potter looked grim when he walked into the Black's front room. Several of his people nodded a terse greeting to their chief.

"The parents are in the sitting room," one of the Aurors reported.

Harold nodded. "No ransom demands yet?"

"Nothing."

Harold's mouth tightened. He walked into the dinning room.

"Another 'no progress, be patient' speech?" Esterhazy Black snapped.

"Mr. and Mrs. Black, Artalocus, Desmona," Harold said quietly. "We found both boys' brooms. The good news is that neither crash looks too severe. Severus definitely walked away from his landing."

Desmona Snape's eyes closed as she sighed in relief.

"We think he made a fast, hard landing. He lost control but he went down of his own volition."

"And Sirius?" Orion Black asked.

"The spells on his broom failed. The back-ups softened his landing…"

"Spells on brooms don't just fail," Esterhazy spat. "What is happening here?"

"We don't know how the spells on Sirius' broom were compromised," Harold admitted. "But we believe the boys were kidnapped. Severus' path led back to where Sirius crashed, the boys' paths overlap at that point. They dead-end at the muggle road. There is no magical signature; we can't trace muggle conveyances. We believe that is how the boys were taken."

"If it was a kidnapping why hasn't there been a ransom demand?" Esterhazy demanded.

"Who would want to hurt your family Mrs. Black?" Harold asked solemnly. "Only one spell was used, that limits our ability to track the kidnappers. They're either very smart or that's all the magic they have access to. It's been three days since the boys were last seen, I have to consider the possibility that their more interested in your anguish than in your money…"

"Harold it sounds like you're certain that they weren't interested in Severus," Artalocus said.

"Nothing is certain, but the kidnapping happened while the boys were retracing their steps to the Black Estate. Sirius' broom was the one that was disenchanted. I'll want a similar list from you but we're working under the assumption that Severus' kidnapping was not their primary goal… Unless there's some reason to think your son would be in danger?"

Artalocus hesitated. "No, what does that mean for Severus?"

Harold glanced at Desmona. "We can't say at this point. We'll have a better idea once they make their demands."

"What if they don't make any demands?" Esterhazy exclaimed.

"We'll find your sons," Harold promised.

As Artalocus got up to leave Harold caught his arm and led him aside. "I didn't want to say this in front of Desmona," the Auror said, "but the fact that we haven't received a ransom demand is a very bad sign. Are you absolutely sure no one has a reason to hurt your family?" Harold waited for a moment. When Artalocus didn't reply he said, "When Severus spent the night at our home he had a panic attack, practically tore apart the room with a several uncontrolled bursts of magic. I've been dealing with it personally; I know how much you value your privacy. But if he has a reason to be afraid, if it has any possible connection to this you need to tell me right now. Artalocus, what is it that your son locks out of his bedroom before he goes to sleep every night?"

"I have no idea," Artalocus said.

* * *

"Mister… um Sir, I'm not a Black," Severus said. He kept his injured arm cradled against his chest. "I'm not anyone you're interested in. Why don't you let me go?"

Their kidnapper looked down at Severus and hissed, "You think I'm crazy. You think I'd let you go, let you tell them about me. No, I won't do that, but you're right I don't need you. Thought maybe I got the wrong boy at first, good to take both, be sure. But now I know."

He took a gun out of his pocket and pointed it at Severus.

"What's that?" Sirius asked nervously.

"A muggle wand, it only knows one spell: _Avada_…"

"No!" Sirius yelled. He stepped between Severus and their kidnapper. "Severus is my cousin, my dad's sister's kid. He's Slytherin, so you can't trust much of anything he says, but my parents care about him as much as me… You don't want to kill him." Slowly Sirius walked toward the man. "I know my family's awful, I have to live with them after all. I want to help you get even; they shouldn't get away with stuff. Please, please don't kill him." Sirius put his hand over the barrel of the gun. "I'll help you. I'm on your side. I'll help you punish my parent but please don't kill my friend."

"You are going to help me, little Black?" the man laughed.

"My parents were wrong. I'm a Gryffindor, I have to try to make it right," Sirius said, his voice filled with sincerity.

The kidnapper looked past Sirius to glare angrily at Severus. "Nasty little brat thinks he's smarter than me; thinks he's better than me."

Severus stared back at the man blankly. He was in shock over how badly his gambit had backfired.

"He's not," Sirius said. His knuckles were white as he held fast to the gun barrel. "He's just a self-centered Slytherin prat out to save his own skin. You've got a cause. You captured us without even using magic. My parents tried to wreck your life but they couldn't stop you."

The man smirked and ruffled Sirius' hair. "I have friends. They give me things," he said as he fingered the suppression bracelet around Sirius' wrist. "These, a way to nullify spells, all sort of useful things. I find muggle things for the rest but I won't forgive them for what they took from me."

"Who would?" Sirius replied. He sagged with relief when the gun disappeared back into their kidnapper's pocket. Severus didn't seem to notice.

"You want to help me? Come help me my Black Griffin."

* * *

A non-descript owl bearing a screaming red envelop pecked politely at the side window to the Black's front room. One of the Aurors stationed there, Alistair Moody, opened the window. He detained the owl then took the letter. "Get the Blacks and the Chief." He told one of his journeymen.

A few moments later Harold Potter arrived with Sirius' parents and Desmona Snape in tow. Esterhazy reached for the Howler. "Wait," Harold said. "Are we ready to record the contents?"

Moody nodded. "We're ready. We've detained the owl as well. It's probably a general postal owl but there may be some information to be gleaned from it. You can never be too careful."

"Thorough as always Alistair," Harold replied. "Mrs. Black, go ahead."

As soon as Esterhazy broke the seal the envelope jumped out of her hands. "Mom? Dad?" Sirius' voice called excitedly. "He really, really hates you. He says he won't let us go unless you pay him ten million galleons. I told him you don't like me that much but please? Severus' arm hurt and He won't fix it. Um…" Sirius' voice trailed off for a moment while he seemed to search for an appropriate plea.

Everyone in the room flinched at the shocked and pained gasp that broke the pause. "Say what I told you to say," a strange voice ordered.

"He said he'd kill us," Sirius' voice returned, he sounded shaky and subdued now. "He said put the money in the metal box at the North-West corner of the property and say _prodo_. He says don't try to use the portkey yourselves, or else."

"On second thought, Black go ahead and use the key," the second voice laughed. "I'd rather have your dead body than the money, that I would."

"I don't recognize the voice," Orion said quietly. "How could someone hate me that much and yet make no impression on me?"

"How many do you figure the pureblood muckity-muck tramples everyday and never once does he look down," one of the Aurors said in a sotto voice to his neighbor. Harold sent a quelling glare in their direction.

"Severus…" Desmona began in a faltering voice. Several of the men noticed her chalky complexion and a chair was quickly produced for her. "Severus generally carries healing potions with him; he tries too hard to be self-sufficient. Even without his wand Severus could treat most minor injuries. He must be badly hurt."

Harold knelt beside Desmona's chair and placed a hand over hers. "Or the kidnappers took his potions along with his wand. Don't torture yourself with worst-case scenarios," Harold gave Severus' mother a moment to recover herself. "I am curious about why Severus would feel it necessary to carry an apothecary with him at all times. Who is he afraid of?"

"No," Desmona said firmly. "You heard the message; this has nothing to do with Severus. It's their fault." She glared angrily at the Blacks.

"We are focusing our investigations on the Black's possible enemies but I don't want to overlook anything," Harold stated. "We'll need a few hours to analyze the recording and investigate the drop-box. Mr. and Mrs. Black, I recommend that you allow one of my people to legilimize you."

"You can't treat us like suspects," Esterhazy exclaimed.

"It is, of course, completely voluntary," Harold said. "However, if you concentrate on the voice it might pull up a subconscious memory."

"My brother, Polaris knows the spell," Orion stated. "I'd feel more comfortable not having a stranger ransacking my memories."

"That is your choice," Harold replied. "However, my people have experience specifically in using Legilimency to unbury memories."

"I'd rather Polaris cast the spell," Orion reiterated.

With a gesture Harold dismissed them. Once the families were out of the room Moody said suspiciously, "The kid sounded off at the beginning."

"He's been kidnapped, who know how he's coping," Harold replied. "Patil, you've a knack for deciphering spelled objects."

"North-West corner, right. I'll have one of the House-elves show me the property lines…"

* * *

**Note: **I know Sirius is developing Stockholm Sydrome very quickly, but the hostage situation thatthe condition isnamed for lasted for under a week and Sirius is predisposed to sympathize with anyone who claims his parents are evil. Severus on the other hand doesn't have much reason to believe that someone who likes him would be less likely to hurt him. 


	14. All Fall Down 05

**Twisting Views**

**Disclaimer:** Characters and setting are the property of J.K. Rowling, I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit fun.

**Silverthreads, Phinea Rogue:** Thanks for the feedback.

* * *

Artalocus Snape was sweating under his mask. He watched his fellow Deatheaters apparate away with mixed feelings. Three years ago he could identify almost all of them by voice or posture despite the masks that hid their faces. They'd been his peers; the sons of old families fallen on hard times, men who'd lost nearly hereditary positions to upstart mudbloods. People like him, older and embittered.

Now nearly a fourth of those who stood in the circle had the half-finished forms of teenagers. They were fanatics and impatient. And more and more they were the ones Lord Voldemort favored. Artalocus felt certain that the pair who habitually flanked Lestrange were his boys but he couldn't even guess at the identities of the others. Artalocus wondered if Severus would have had been able recognize them.

Once again he was being passed over and the question he needed to ask tonight would displease the Dark Lord.

Beneath the long sleeves of his robe Artalocus clenched his fists and felt his nails digging into his palms as he stepped forward and knelt. "My Lord, a moment of your time. I beg you."

The hansom golden blonde heir of Slytherin inclined his head graciously.

"My Lord, I must ask: Did you order my son's kidnapping?"

"Why would you think such a thing?" Artalocus could hear the amusement in Voldemort's voice.

"I know that my Lord wasn't pleased that he saw our meeting, and it was the second time."

"You assured me that he had no memory of our activities. Did you fail me Artalocus?"

"No my lord, but you have favored more extreme methods lately."

"And you disapprove."

"No, never my Lord. You gave me everything, everything they kept from me," Artalocus swore.

"What would you do if I had ordered it? Artalocus, what would you do if I decreed that your only child was a danger to our purpose?"

"If you did not order it, my Lord, I would be free to assist in my son's rescue to the best of my ability."

"You are a cautious man, my Potions Master," Voldemort said. "The younger ones would have promised me his life by now."

"You will have my son's life, my Lord. When he is old enough to understand your vision you will have him," Artalocus said. "Excuse my presumptuousness, my Lord, but I believe Severus will be of more value to you alive than dead. Teenagers will make exaggerated promises, but adults look to the long-term effects of present actions."

"You are a brave one Artalocus," Voldemort said. "See to it that your son lives up to your promises. Your life depends on it."

"Thank you my Lord… Where is Severus?"

Voldemort laughed. "I have no idea, but you have my blessing to look for him."

"Thank you." Artalocus stood. He bowed and walked downstairs. Once he was in the safety of his kitchen he slumped in a chair and buried his face in his hands.

* * *

Sirius watched Severus from across the storage area where they were detained. When he'd been brought back after making the Howler for his parents the Slytherin boy had been in the far corner of the room lying curled up on his side, his broken arm stretched out flat on the floor. Severus' arm was swollen to twice its normal size and a dark purple color. Their kiddnapper had loosened the suppression bracelet several times to accommodate the swelling and it still cut into his flesh. 

Severus had barely moved in the two days since then. When their kidnapper brought dinner that night Sirius sighed. He scooped up one of the bowls of porridge and took it over to Severus. "You're not going to skip eating again," he declared.

Severus ignored the food. After a few minutes he said, "I would have gotten help. You know that right?" in a dull voice.

Sirius sat down beside him. "It's okay. He's not going to hurt us. Not really, it's just like this huge trick on my parents and they deserve it."

Severus lifted his head from the floor and stared at Sirius. "He's not going to hurt us? Are you mad? What about my arm? What about what he did to your face the other day?"

"I wasn't convincing enough, it was all my fault," Sirius said. "Listen, my parents hurt him. You know what they're like. You know they'd do it."

"He's going to kill us!"

"Shut up! Just shut up! He won't hurt us unless you make him."

The two boys sat in silence for a time. Severus pulled his arm closer to his body and whimpered in pain.

"I'm sorry I yelled," Sirius said. "You're not thinking straight. Your arm hurts too much. Why don't you fix it?"

"What?"

"All those potions you always carry around like a security blanket, why don't you use them?"

"It's broken. I can't take bone-knit until someone sets it. I can't set it without a wand," Severus said in a tight, pain-filled voice.

"I'll set it the muggle way I saw a movie with Andy, they just sort of pull it straight."

Severus sat up and curled his body protectively around his arm. "That's a stupid idea. You don't know anything. You think _he's_ the good guy and you want me to trust you?"

Sirius scowled. He leaned over and grabbed Severus' hand and arm then pulled. Severus screamed. Sirius gritted his teeth and kept pulling until Severus wrist looked straight again. Confidently the blue-eyed boy reached into Severus' pocket and extracted a roll of cloth holding a number of single dose vials. Sirius picked out a dose of bone-knit and a swelling reducer. Sirius uncorked the vial and held it to Severus' mouth. "Come on Sev this'll help. Come on. It'll be better."

Severus gave in and let Sirius feed him the potions. He stared into space as he felt the potions working on his body. Gradually the red-hot waves of pain receded. Severus tried to flex his hand, nothing happened. He scrambled to his feet ready to attack Sirius. Both boys froze at the sound of the suppression bracelet hitting the floor.

As the swelling in Severus' wand arm had gone down the bracelet had gone from cutting into his flesh to loosely hanging on his wrist. When it came off Severus gasped at the rush of magic bubbling through his veins to fill all the empty places. He couldn't help but smile with pure joy at the sensation.

Sirius watched Severus' expression solemnly. "That's what He's missing. That's what they took from Him. He told me how bad it felt. Don't you understand? They deserved what he's doing to them."

"I don't care, I just want to go home!" Severus said.

Sirius bit his lip. "You promise you won't tell? I could help you escape. He doesn't need you, just me."

Severus stared at the other boy like he was insane. "Of course I promised, anything to get out of here."

"He's got our wands tucked into his belt, beneath his cloak. If you tripped him or something you could probably get them back. You could put a body bind on him then throw my wand in the bushes outside and run off. By the time I got my wand back and released him you'd be long gone," Sirius planned.

Severus nodded bemusedly. He stared at Sirius as if looking at an alien creature completely beyond comprehension but he moved to sit beside the door.

When their kidnapper returned Severus kicked him viciously in the side of the knee. The man gasped as his leg bent in ways in had never been intended to. Sirius' eyes widened with horror. Severus scrambled on top of his fallen enemy and found the wands right where Sirius said they'd be.

Severus stepped back with his wand clenched awkwardly in his off hand and pointed it at his former kidnapper. The feeling of wrongness reminded Severus of his mishealed, currently useless hand, and ball of dark magic he'd been nursing since he'd been captured exploded through his veins. He remembered every moment of pain during the last week as the shattered bits of bones in his wrist burrowed into his muscles. He remembered what the Bogart said and the man on the floor had screamed and screamed.

Severus leveled his wand at the man who'd kidnapped him and held him prisoner. "Crucio!" he hissed.

The former curse-breaker screamed and his back arched until it looked like it would snap.

"Crucio! Crucio!" Severus repeated. The blackness swallowed his mind like a storm of hate. His vision tunneled in until all he saw was his kidnapper. He didn't hear Sirius screaming for him to stop and so he was taken completely off guard when the Gryffindor tackled him.

* * *

"Bloody hell, the orb just registered a huge under-aged magic incident," an Auror exclaimed. 

"Everyone's off dealing with the kidnapping," his partner said. "You keep monitoring the wards, I'll check it out by myself. I don't want to call anyone else away from the kidnapping until we're sure it's urgent."

"I'll go with you Brown. The monitoring orb can watch itself for a while."

"You do that and you know someone'll bomb the Ministry then we'll both be on the chief's bad side and personally I like keeping my body parts intact.

"I get the picture, just be careful alright."

"It's probably just some idiot tossing his kid out the window to jump start their magic again. Did we get a good signal?"

"Lit up the board like a beacon, you should be able to apparate right in."

Auror Brown put his hand on the orb in the center of the monitoring board then hurried to the department's Apparation Point: the one room in the Department that wasn't warded against apparation.

He disappeared with a loud pop and arrived in front of a small shed in the corner of a heavily overgrown backyard.

Cautiously Brown peered through the open door into the shed. A man lay just inside the door, he was suffering convulsions. Two boys, whose pictures currently adorned every wall in the Auror's offices, rolled across the floor kicking and punching each other.

For a moment Auror Brown stood there and stared in disbelief then he raised his fingers to his lips and whistled sharply. The two boys froze. "What is going on here?"

"Who the hell are you?" Severus demanded.

"Auror Brown. There was a violation of the Under-aged Wizardy laws…"

"He was torturing him!" "He wouldn't even try to escape!" Sirius and Severus accused as they pointed at one another.

"And who is that?" Brown asked with a gesture to the man on the floor.

"He's our kidnapper," Sirius said. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah, I hope he's not okay," Severus added.

* * *

A series of pops filled the Aurors' offices. 

Esterhazy Black stormed across the room and grabbed her son by the ear. "This is what happens when you go running off with those no good friends of yours!"

Sirius slapped his mother's hand away. "IT'S YOUR FAULT! Not my friends! The only reason He took me was because he had to punish YOU! I wish you actually cared about me so it would have worked!"

"Sirius…" Orion began as he reached out to his son.

"Don't touch me!" Sirius shouted. "I HATE YOU!"

Severus blushed and squirmed as his mother hugged him and refused to let go.

Artalocus took Severus' arm and probed the injury. "The bones are fused. Have you taken leave of what few senses you possess? What idiotic impulse convinced you to take bone-knit without seeing that the bones were properly set? You've studied potions since you were five years old, did you forget everything I ever taught you? This is the sort of basic stupidity I'd expect from a Hufflepuff, not you," Artalocus growled. "We'll have remove the bones and re-grow them. Perhaps the pain will help you to remember your studies."

"I didn't forget; Sirius was trying to help," Severus protested.

"Don't make excuses."

"Severus, I was so scared," Desmona said.

Severus seemed to forget about the room full of Aurors and let his mother pull him closer.

"I'm not going home with them. You can't make me," Sirius yelled. He stared hopefully at Harold Potter. "They're the bad guys, not Him."

"There must be some sort of spell on him," Orion said. He gave his angry son a horrified look.

"I'd like the Healers at St. Mungo's to check both boys out," Harold said. "I assure you they'll find any spells placed on your son."

"He didn't put any spells on me. He didn't have any magic, thanks to THEM," Sirius accused.

Severus hesitated. "Could my mom stay with me?" he asked softly.

Desmona smiled. "I'd like to see anyone try to stop me."

* * *

Sirius fidgeted. A Junior Healer at St. Mungo's treated his black eye and swollen cheek. "How's my kidnapper?" he asked. 

The healer smiled reassuringly. "It's okay to be scared. I know it's odd being here with him, but you don't have to worry. He can't get to you."

"I'm not worried," Sirius said.

A few hours later Sirius snuck out of his room. He ended up sitting under the stairs in the stairwell outside of his kidnapper's hospital room, unable to get closer without being spotted by the guards. When he heard voices approaching Sirius pulled his blanket around his shoulders and shrank back into the shadows.

"…He was suffering the after effects from a Cruciatus Curse. The Black boy was still wearing a suppression bracelet."

"The boys were kidnapped and held hostage. I've personally seen Severus Snape loose control of his magic in a violently destructive manner," Harold Potter stated. "You can't be sure that this wasn't a case of unintentional magic mimicking the effects of an Unforgivable Curse. He was injured, kidnapped and held hostage. I don't believe it's in anyone's best interest to confuse the issue."

"Sir, you can't seriously be asking me to leave information out of my report."

"The laws don't make any allowances for age or circumstance when it comes to the use of the Unforgivables." Harold said quietly. "We're talking about a twelve year old boy. If you say he used an Unforgivable he'll be sent to Azkaban to await trial, he'll be insane in a matter of days. If he's found guilty he'll be dead in a month. He's a child."

"So we wait until he's an adult, what else will he be guilty of by then?"

Harold played absently with his wand. "Auror Brown, listen to me, _Obliviate_."

"Sir, what were we talking about?" Brown asked in confusion.

"You were just telling me that Curse-breaker Natas will be ready to stand trial in a few days… you walked into a door."

Under the staircase Sirius bit his lip to keep from gasping. He didn't know what to think. He knew it hadn't been an accident when Severus hurt their kidnapper, but the idea of Severus being dead made him feel sick to his stomach and _James' dad_ acted like he was more mad at Auror Brown than at Severus, but Auror Brown was right…

* * *

"Sirius! Where have you been?" James exclaimed and a moment later the blue-eyed Gryffindor was practically buried under a pile of his friends. "They haven't let us see you once since the kidnapping… Then you show up at the station for school like nothing happened!" 

"We tried to sneak into your parents' house to see you," Peter volunteered.

"I wasn't there," Sirius said.

"Your parents mentioned that," Remus remarked. "After we got caught."

"Oh, sorry. You should really stay away from them," Sirius said.

"Who cares about them? Where were you?" James exclaimed.

"I spent the last couple of weeks at Professor McGonagall's." Sirius admitted with a shrug.

"I bet that was fun," Peter said sarcastically.

"She didn't let me get away with anything," Sirius said. "It's a whole lot easier to pull something over on her when she's got seventy-five other kids to distract her."

"Why did you?" Remus asked. "Was it because of…"

"Yeah, the Healers said I 'needed a neutral environment' to sort things out. You can't get much more neutral than Professor McGonagall," Sirius explained.

"So you don't, um, well, like that guy that kidnapped you anymore do you?" Peter asked.

"How'd you know about that?" Sirius demanded.

"We cornered Snivellus when he picked up his supplies for school," James replied casually.

"Who?"

"Snape," Peter explained. "Remember how he was crying over that harmless little trick we pulled?"

"Oh right, I forgot," Sirius replied. "So you guys got sick of him hanging around too?"

"You're not going to invite him along any more, even to get away from your parents?" Peter checked.

Sirius nodded.

"Why, I thought you were sort of friends?" Remus asked.

"I guess I saw what he was really like when we got kidnapped. He's evil, like my parents and I'm not going to make nice with any of them anymore," Sirius declared. "They ought to be punished."

* * *

_Harry's Sixth Year – Summer Break_

"Why did things turn so ugly so quickly?" Remus asked

"You don't know?" Severus sneered. "Black never told you? He never could forgive me for harming our precious kidnapper!"

"Severus, what are you talking about? You and Siri were twelve years old. It was a miracle the two of you managed to subdue an adult without your magic."

"You honestly don't know? Black really didn't tell you what I did?" Severus seemed confused. "He tries to kill me, but he never tells anyone, even his closest friends about something that could have put me in Azkaban. Something he hated me for."

"Severus, Siri never tried to kill you," Remus said seriously. "Do you think I would have forgiven them for trying to use me as a murder weapon? Rogue werewolves are 'put down' and when there's an attack the Aurors don't stop looking until someone's paid for it."

"For good reason," Severus replied coldly. "Your parents wouldn't be dead and you wouldn't be a werewolf if we killed the monsters on sight… But it's still not too late for the Ministry to finally start taking preventative measures."

"Equally they could cripple Who-know-Who by instituting regular checks for the Dark Mark and executing anyone who bares it," Lupin replied without loosing his composure. "No one tried to kill you. If you'd died that night I would have been handed a goblet of Silver Nitrate the next day. Even if you believe that Siri and James wanted to murder you, admit that they wouldn't have killed me in the process. Can we please stop fighting about something that happened when we were Harry's age?"

"And Potter, always the hero, got the credit for 'rescuing' me; that stupid dog did more to… protect…" Severus' eyes widened.

"You finally put it together," Remus said quietly.

"James' animagus form was a stag, I don't suppose you ever knew that," Remus continued seemingly at random. "A wolf, a dog, a stag and a rat. Peter got them past the Whomping Willow, but he never could keep up with us. They kept me company during the full moons. Instead of being trapped and tearing myself apart in frustration and rage they took me into the forest and… we called it tag, but if I'd ever caught James it wouldn't have been a game. Oh James was big enough to defend himself in his animagus form, but a deer is still a food animal to a wolf. It was Sirius' responsibility to make sure it never got that far."

"Padfoot was pack, the wolf was as much his friend as I was; somewhere along the line I suppose he forgot werewolves are dangerous. Siri thought he could control the game, like he always did for James, he forgot how werewolves are enraged by the presence of a human then you froze instead of running. Sirius did his best to keep me away from you until James realized it was taking too long and pulled you out. When I came back to myself the next morning I was furious with them, but I know they didn't mean to put you in that much danger. Siri and James were never particularly good at thinking through the consequences of their actions." Remus paused. He waited for Severus to glance at him. "How many times did Narcissa lecture you about the same thing back when you and Siri were friends? I know some of the pranks you helped to pull on Lucius Malfoy weren't exactly safe."

Severus glanced toward the picture in Remus' hand, for a moment a look of uncertainty flickered across his face. "You may have time to waste with pointless rehashing of the past," he spat, "but I have responsibilities. Get out."


End file.
